The narrative "He" is told from Mrs. Whipple's point of view. Her main goal is to portray her family as happy, content, and enveloped in love, regardless of their reality. Despite any challenges or emotions they encounter, Mrs. Whipple is determined to imagine her family and their environment as perfect. She obsessively ensures her children and their clothes are immaculate and reprimands them for any behavior that might seem peculiar to their neighbors. She sacrifices their limited possessions to impress others and views accepting charity as the ultimate disgrace.

Mrs. Whipple is so devoted to maintaining this illusion of perfection that she even attempts to deceive herself. In her quest to appear normal, she becomes detached from her own emotions. For example, she kills a piglet to show her brother she can afford to forgo the potential income from a grown pig, just as she suppresses her emotions to demonstrate her love for her son, He, often neglecting the well-being of her other family members.

While the story doesn't explicitly state it, readers can deduce from subtle clues that, despite—or perhaps because of—Mrs. Whipple's obsession with appearances, most people around her recognize her family's lack of material wealth and normalcy. Her insistence on the contrary only highlights their shortcomings.

The most touching aspect of this story is Mrs. Whipple's emotional turmoil. She tries desperately to convince herself that she loves He as much as, if not more than, the other family members. However, in the end, overwhelmed by her inability to face her true feelings, she finds herself barely able to love him at all. She justifies her emotional detachment by convincing herself that He does not have feelings. Just as she attempts to deceive her neighbors by portraying her family as normal despite their difficult circumstances, she tries to deceive herself by exaggerating her son's strength, his lack of need for affection, and his insensitivity to pain. She ignores anything that doesn't fit the image she wants to project.

Mrs. Whipple often struggles with expressing the joys of maternal love. Though she firmly believes her actions are right, the results usually prove otherwise.

She has three children. Two of them she describes as smart but prone to whining, fear, and getting hurt easily. Her other child, whom she calls "He," does not attend school or speak, but is described as fearless, uncomplaining, and generous. She frequently praises He more than her other two children. She even tells neighbors that her love for He surpasses the love she has for the other two combined. This eventually affects Adna and Emly, who are eager to leave the family as soon as possible, even before finishing school. Meanwhile, He is sent to a sanitarium when he is no longer able to work, as his mother cannot afford to care for him.

Throughout the story, Mrs. Whipple tries to convince her neighbors of her affection for He. She never misses a chance to express her feelings. However, inside the home, away from neighbors' eyes, she removes his blankets to give to the other children when they need extra warmth. She assigns him tasks that the other children are afraid to do, and justifiably so, as these tasks—like taking a suckling pig from its mother—are dangerous. She praises him for his courage, while only Mr. Whipple seems to understand that it's not bravery but rather his lack of awareness of the danger. Mrs. Whipple refuses to accept this because it would mean acknowledging that He lacks normal intelligence, and normalcy is very important to her. As a result, she sacrifices her son's...