In the story entitled "The Rockpile", Gabriel was a husband to Elizabeth and father to Delilah, Roy, and Paul. He had a bad temper and he took it to the beatings of the family members. Thus, in this story, Elizabeth's avoidance was due to her being frightened of him. The answer is therefore, the last choice.
According to Rosenthal, Whitman's live oak conveys the wilds of Louisiana (73).
