Character Analysis
The German is the first in a long line of men who mistreat Mrs. Grimes. In many ways, her experiences at his farm set the tone for the rough life that will follow.
This is when Mrs. Grimes' life starts to revolve around feeding—she "fed the cows in the barn, fed the pigs, the horses and the chickens" (2.2). This means that she's forced to work bone-breaking hours for the German and his wife. Even worse, it also makes her a victim to the farmer's violent sexual advances. Although Jake eventually saves her from this situation, there is little about the two men's attitudes that differ in meaningful ways.
Things are even worse because the German's wife takes her anger out on Mrs. Grimes. Now the poor girl has the farmer telling her "he would kill her if she told" and the farmer's wife wanting to kill her either way (1.13).
In truth, the wife should be getting mad at her husband—he's the one that's doing it, after all. By deflecting her anger at the girl, she's helping perpetuate the cycle of abuse she is trying to avoid. Although the story is mostly focused on how men treat women, the example of the German's wife shows us how women can contribute to a misogynistic power structure just as much as men.