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Eben is the most important character of the play and has a significant effect on the other characters and on the narrative as a whole. Although the play has three major characters, and we gain insights into them all, Eben is the one whose viewpoint we are meant to sympathize with most. For Eben, the farm represents his mother, who died when he was a teenager ten years prior. He staunchly believes the farm belonged to her and is, therefore, rightly his and no one else's. His motivation for most of the play comes down to this, although Abbie eventually offers a new motivation.
Eben’s character is complex in that he is restless and acts as if he's trapped, but he never talks about wanting to leave as his older brothers do. He has a youthful desire to achieve something more in his life, but he's determined to inherit the farm. He is seemingly fearful of moving outside of the thing most familiar to him, afraid that he’ll be betraying his mother’s memory if he leaves.
Eben is a restless and stubborn character. Unlike his father, he is emotional and lustful, and wants someone to care for him. When referring to Minnie, Eben insists that he's just having fun, but he is possessive of her as well, and demonstrates a roughness toward her that is absent in his relationship with Abbie. Abbie offers a maternal figure that is missing in his life, something he’s yearned for since he lost his mother. He also yearns for romantic and sexual love, which Abbie fills as well. However, he is resentful of Abbie from the beginning since he sees her as a rival in his quest to inherit the farm. He also feels guilty for desiring Abbie and betraying the memory of his mother. Eventually, Eben gives in to his desires, but the conflict between loving Abbie and having the farm continues to resurface.
Eben is frequently contrasted with Cabot, but multiple characters comment on how similar they are in appearance and even temperament. They both love the farm, but Cabot views it as something difficult he has to continue to endure. Eben looks at it as beautiful and associates it with his mother, who was kind and caring.
Although Cabot has moments of softness and speaks of trying to accept Eben, Eben never shows any willingness to work toward a positive relationship with his father. He blames him for overworking his mother and causing her early death. But he is closer to his father than he'll admit, having inherted two of his father's worst traits: his stubbornness and ruthlessness. He swindles his father out of his money and steals his new wife as well, but meets a tragic end of his own due to his love for Abbie.
