Codependency in Edith Wharton's Ethan Frome
analytical Essay
1080 words
Codependency in Edith Wharton's Ethan Frome
"Dependent personality disorder."(Morris) To people who suffer from this disorder, making a decision is virtually impossible. It is only by getting assistance from others that they can make even the simplest of choices. When some of these people come together, they rely on each other to help them with decision-making. Unfortunately, the codependency created by this situation frequently makes it impossible for these people to separate. In fact, they often become so interdependent that subconsciously they increasingly act in ways that will maintain the status quo. In Edith Wharton's novel Ethan Frome, the three major characters are so dependent on each other that no matter what they try, they remain stuck together. To underscore this point, Edith Wharton uses both language and diction to illustrate each of the three major characters' basic inability to make their decisions and their resultant codependence on each other.
Ethan Frome, the most predominant character, exhibits his codependence throughout the story and consistently requires other people to either make or help him with decisions that affect his life. At one point, Ethan describes his relationship with his wife saying, "She's always had her way"(61). In addition, Wharton describes Ethan's actions as follows: "Lowered head he went up in his wife's wake"(28). Ethan's own words show his dependence on Zeena and on his reliance on her to make all the decisions in the house. His constant pattern of yielding to her is a telltale sign of his inability to run his life. Another example of Ethan's dependence is how he only fights Zeena over one issue, Mattie. However, in this instance ...
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...ever, illustrate the possible consequences of refusing to take responsibility for one's own decisions. Although most people do not suffer from dependent personality disorder, many people do have trouble making important decisions that will change their lives. Ethan, Zeena and Mattie illustrate how far astray a refusal to think for oneself can lead a person. Had any of them chosen to consider the repercussions of their actions, a lot of heartache and tragedy might have been avoided.
Works Cited and Consulted:
Bell, Millicent. The Cambridge Companion to Edith Wharton. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1995.
Morris, Charles G. Psychology Englewood Cliffs Prentice Hall Inc, 1994.
Springer, Marlene. Ethan Frome: A Nightmare of Need. New York: Twayne Publishers, 1993.
Wharton, Edith. Ethan Frome. New York: Penguin Group, 1993.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how edith wharton uses language and diction to illustrate the three major characters' basic inability to make their decisions and their resultant codependence on each other.
- Analyzes how ethan frome, the most predominant character, exhibits his codependence throughout the story and consistently requires others to make or help him with decisions that affect his life.
- Analyzes how zeena frome, the second of the three important characters, is often unable to take direct action without receiving confirmation from other characters.
- Analyzes how mattie silver, the third important character, is completely dependent on ethan and zeena, as she is unable to function as a normal person without them.
- Analyzes how ethan, zeena, and mattie illustrate the consequences of refusing to take responsibility for one's own decisions.
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- Analyzes how ethan's isolation manifests itself throughout the book with characters speaking about him or through depictions of , edith wharton.
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- Analyzes how edith wharton's ethan frome uses his fantasy as an escape to the entrapment of his marriage and the fear of public condemnation.
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- Analyzes how frome is unable to escape the dreariness of the town of starkfield. each day while passing the headstones on his property he feels as if they are mocking him.
- Analyzes how ethan frome marries zenobia after the death of his mother in an unsuccessful attempt to escape the silence, isolation, and loneliness of life. their lack of communication makes the marriage more miserable.
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- Analyzes how edith wharton wrote ethan frome because it vividly reflected her dreary life. abandoned of any love as a child from her mother, she found herself relying on illicit love.
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- Analyzes how nathan and zeena's resolve and sense of self are sapped by the terrible power of the six-month-long cold season.
- Analyzes how the cat breaks zeena's pickle dish in the rocking chair, a favorite of her marriage, symbolizes the breaking up of the harmful and socially broken frome marriage.
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- Analyzes how edith wharton creates an interesting plot revolving around two star-crossed lovers. zeena, the wife, finds herself in a particular situation where she needs to get rid of mattie.
- Analyzes how wharton describes zeena as unfeminine and dark, just like the weather and the snow in starkfield.
- Analyzes how zeena is a hypochondriac who is obsessed and anxious about their health in an abnormal way.
- Narrates how zeena feared the outside world and her hypochondriasis to keep ethan in town.
- Analyzes how zeena faking her illness and firing mattie in order to get a maid. ethan is blind to her perception and continues his secretive relationship with matt
- Analyzes how zeena decides to fire mattie and takes her illness up to the next level. ethan is the one to blame for her actions because of how he treated her.
- Analyzes how zeena's true form comes out when her pickle dish breaks, a symbol that stands for the only thing she wants.
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- Analyzes how edith wharton's ethan frome takes place in the fictional town of starkfield, massachusetts, but the economic and geographic problems of the town are not fictional.
- Analyzes how the harsh winter climate affected the story. harmon gow and ruth hale sparked the narrator's curiosity in ethan frome’s story, but their depictions were incomplete.
- Describes how the storm held off, and the clearness in the west seemed to their inexperienced eye the pledge of a fair evening. but at sunset the clouds gathered again, bringing an earlier night.
- Analyzes how the narrative shifts to a third-person view after the narrator follows ethan into his home. without this convenient blizzard, he may have never had the opportunity to be alone with him.
- Analyzes how the setting of a story allowed the events of the story to take place. if ethan had never married zeena, he would have never had the same experiences that make up the plot.
- Narrates how he feared being left alone on the farm after seeing his mother's funeral, and asked her to stay with him. he thought it wouldn't have happened if her mother had died in spring.
- Analyzes how ethan's mother died during the winter, and he married zeena to prevent the rise of emotions. the motive for this action was the onset of a particular part of the annual climate.
- Analyzes how the combination of climate and economic misfortune combined to limit the plot of the three main characters.
- Analyzes how mrs. hale ended, sighing, "that they're all shut up there 'n that one kitchen." in summertime, on pleasant days, they move mattie into the parlour, or out in the door-yard, and that makes it easier.
- Analyzes how the characters' lives were limited towards the end of the story, through a forceful combination of climate and economic condition.
- Explains that the setting allowed mattie to work for the household. zeena chose an inexpensive option to help her illnesses because the family did not have money to spare for an expensive treatment.
- Explains that ethan was aware that the female opinion of the neighbourhood was divided, some glorying in the prestige conferred by operations while others shunned them as indelicate.
- Analyzes how the family's poor economic condition led them to choose an inefficient, inexpensive option to help zeena with her illnesses.
- Analyzes how the economic conditions of the setting had halted ethan's plans to run away with mattie. this limitation altered the plot inline and forced the characters to stay in the set.
- Narrates how he was a prisoner for life, and now his one ray of light was to be extinguished.
- Analyzes how ethan was a prisoner to the setting and all that came with it, but he had no money to run away with mattie, and this economic aspect of his environment forcefully drove him to hurt himself in the long run.
- Concludes that wharton's use of climate in the story had given the narrator the ability to tell story, the main characters, and the economic situation of the town limited the characters' choices.
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In this essay, the author
- Opines that while everyone is legally entitled to the pursuit of happiness, the truth of the matter is that very few ever achieve it. ethan, portrayed in edith whartons novel, is emotionally weak.
- Analyzes how ethan struggles to find a way to reverse his fate so that he can head west with mattie and be happy with his true love.
- Analyzes how ethan and mattie re-awakened their boyish desires for an exciting future, but are too old and obligated to zeena's health to fulfill them.
- Analyzes how ethan lives in shame and mediocrity, facing every day with zeena and mattie, consumed by guilt instead of misery. he failed at succeeding because he put his selfishness in front of his obligations.
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In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how the main theme of ethan frome's book is failure. it is shown in three ways throughout the story: his marriage, not being able to stand up to zeena, and his involvement in the "smash up."
- Explains that ethan married zeena so he won't be alone after his mother dies. she became a nagging, sick wife and they had to hire someone to help around the house.
- Explains that ethan's second failure was not standing up to zeena. she claimed the doctor said that she was extremely sick and needed more help around the house.
- Analyzes how ethan modified his and mattie's lives regarding the smash-up. he wanted to run away, but could not because his practical sense told him it was not feasible.
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