Juxtaposition between Mattie and Zeena in Ethan Frome

According to the Microsoft Word Encarta Dictionary, juxtaposition is to place two or more things, side by side, in order to emphasize contrasts and similarities between them. Edith Wharton deliberately places the characters of Mattie Silver and Zeena Frome together in the novel Ethan Frome to compare and contrast them. Although Mattie has only recently been exposed to Starkfield, Zeena's has lived in there for seven despondent years. Wharton's intent was to make the reader accustomed to seeing Zeena and Mattie in such harsh comparison, thus making the climatic ending extremely ironic. Throughout the novel, Wharton accentuates characteristic of Zeena's and Mattie's character such as their physical appearances which creates conflict in the interactions of the women with Ethan and consequently each other, until ironically the two characters finally fuse and become one.

Despite the common cliché, ?don?t judge a book by its cover,? you never get a second chance to make a first impression, most first impressions are derived from appearance. Edith Wharton harshly juxtaposes the appearances of Mattie and Zeena, to such an extreme that it almost seems bias. From the beginning of the novel, Zeena is depicted as an old and ?repugnant? (46) housewife. Substantial background information is not given, nor causes for her worn out and ?bloodless? (53) demeanor. ?Though she was but seven years her husband?s senior, she was already an old woman.? (53) In harsh comparison, Mattie is portrayed as a youthful, vivacious woman, yet with natural beauty. This drastic juxtaposition is black and white, with no grey areas, just the strong Mattie and the feeble Zeena. However, the colors used to describe Mattie and Zeena are not black and white, they each ...

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...tie so sweet and kindhearted, was for the readers to feel sympathy for Ethan, who is in a lifelong commitment with Zeena. Wharton made the ending, when Zeena and Mattie became one, ironic, through the use of juxtaposition and creating characters with significant differences between them. Wharton possessing the skill of juxtaposition added depth and irony to the book, but when the reader realizes her underlying purpose, Ethan Frome and Mattie Silver no longer deserve the sympathy they received all book. Zeena, throughout the book, was looked at too harshly, not realizing the underlying reasons for her ugliness and depression, and deserves the readers sympathy. This book expresses many insightful accounts of the life of Ethan Frome, but it?s the ideas Wharton doesn?t mention, and the secrets she withheld from the reader that effects one?s perceptive on the characters.