Ethan Frome Ethan Frome written by Edith Wharton in 1905 is a novel about the dilemmas of a poor New England farmer named Ethan Frome, his wife Zeena, and Zeena's cousin, Mattie Silver. The first person narrator, an engineer, comes to the town of Starkfield and becomes curious about the crippled, taciturn Ethan Frome. The tragic consequences of Ethan's unhappy marriage and forbidden love are revealed in a flashback to twenty-four years before the narrators arrival in Starkfield. In 1992, a
expanded through railroads, and Nationalism was yet again revived. On top of all these important transformations that have marked this period of time was the significance for literature with a new audience, new settings, and new characters. The novel, Ethan Frome, by Edith Wharton, is a magnificent example of literature from the Realistic period. First, Realism is a definite movement away from the Romantic period. Romantics wrote regarding the unique and the unusual, whereas in Realism, literature
The Metamorphosis and Ethan Frome The routine of life can bring some people a sense of stability and happiness. For others this routine can be the cause of immense discontent and a feeling of entrapment. The main characters of the books The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka and Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton both experience this feeling of being trapped by their everyday responsibilities and environment. Family obligation, societal expectation, and their internal and external appearances trap both
Throughout the novel, Ethan Frome’s sense of responsibility lives strong enough in him to forget about his own happiness with Mattie, to stay with his wife Zeena, and to take care of the town when all of the others have passed away. In Edith Wharton’s Ethan Frome, Ethan’s sense of responsibility to his wife and land prevents him from achieving true happiness and causes his ultimate emotional death. Ethan Frome has a strong enough sense of responsibility to keep himself from achieving true happiness
Throughout “Ethan Frome,” Edith Wharton renders the idea that freedom is just out of reach from the protagonist, Ethan Frome. The presence of a doomed love affair and an unforgiving love triangle forces Ethan to choose between his duty and his personal desire. Wharton’s use of archetypes in the novella emphasizes how Ethan will make choices that will ultimately lead to his downfall. In Edith Wharton’s, “Ethan Frome.” Ethan is wedged between his duty as a husband and his desire for happiness; however
Ethan Frome as Fairy Tale Edith Wharton's Ethan Frome is vividly real to its readers, its issues continually relevant to society, but through its structure and moral lessons, it is intended to be read as a 'fairy tale'. Elizabeth Ammons discusses this 'fairy tale' in her article "Ethan Frome as a Fairy Tale," explaining that the novel is a "vision" of the narrator's. As evidenced by the introductory chapter, the narrator truly has few clues as to the real story of Ethan Frome, and these clues
Ethan Frome ‘He was but the ruin of a man’. What factors have contributed to Ethan’s tragic fate? The first factor which adds to Ethan’s tragic fate is time. The book is mainly set in the nineteenth century and in those times things like divorce and adultery were less acceptable. Ethan would have felt morally wrong to leave this wife working on a poor farm or just leaving her money. Ethan’s birth into a poor family and in the time he was born, meant that he couldn’t really do anything so
Edith Whartons, “Ethan Frome,” is a classic tragic love story where the imprisonment of a love triangle is established by the contrasting archetypes of Mattie, Zeena and Ethan. This is caused by the contrasting archetypes Wharton created along side with these characters. Ethan Frome’s archetype is evidently a lover and a caregiver, which can be proven when Ethan “put a premature end” to his “unfinished studies” to c are for his frail parents. Furthermore his lover archetype is reflected when “his
Ethan Frome The novel Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton tells the story of Ethan Frome and the tragedy he faces in his life. The story mainly focuses on the relationships between and among Ethan, his wife, and his wife’s cousin, with whom he is in love. Wharton uses different literary devices to develop the plot, including irony as one of the most effective. The use of irony in the novel, especially in the climatic sledding scene, greatly adds to the development of the tragedy. The sled ride which
Unselfish and Stupid Ethan Frome Ethan Frome was an unselfish man, he looked out for the interests of others and acted to serve them rather than himself. Though this attitude is normally considered a wonderful characteristic it proved to be Ethan Frome's undoing. All of Ethan's troubles were a direct result of his unselfishness and strict moral standards. The life that Ethan lived, the plot of the story, could have been drastically changed, and most likely changed for the better had Ethan considered the
Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton is about a young Ethan Frome, who lives in the snowy and dull town of Starkfield, Massachusetts. He lives a complicated life, as he is sort of troubled in choosing between a seemingly unattractive wife and a vigorous cousin-in-law. Ethan is simply tormented with various internal conflicts, in the likes of which his characteristics and lifestyle, his friends and family, and the environment play a role in his personal unhappiness. Ethan Frome, the protagonist of the story
Passive and Pitiful Ethan Frome Ethan Frome is a man torn between what he wants to do, and what he should do. Life in a rural town can be tough, but when faced with complications, it can be almost unbearable. When Ethan decides to marry his distant cousin, Zeena, his life turns down a long and lonesome road. Ethan's lack of assertiveness and decisive action only worsens his already lonesome and stressful life. Though too intelligent for rural life, Ethan finds himself stuck
Ethan Frome: A Zenobic Paradox There is a well-known expression that states, “There are two sides to every coin.“ This is no different when it comes to Mrs. Frome. She is either Zeena, a mean, cruel hag or Zenobia, a munificent, compassionate woman. In the book Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton, Zeena is described as thin and hard. While in the short story Zenobia by Gina Berrault, Zenobia is described as slender, and gentle. There are two different “Zenobias” depicted and they are very paradoxical
Ethan Frome Readers Response I thought the novel Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton was one of the best books that I have ever read. When I started reading the book I thought that it would be about the accident that Ethan experienced instead of the incidents behind it. The novel is also well written, Edith Wharton did a fine job writing a book that I never wanted to put down. I felt as though the story was being told to me and that I actually knew Ethan and Mattie. As well I enjoyed the way that
Character Sketch of Ethan Frome “Guess he’s been in Starkfield too many winters. Most of the smart ones get away” (6). That, said by Harmon Gow, was definitely how Ethan Frome could be described. Too many winters in Starkfield had taken its toll on Ethan, and it was obvious to see. Ethan, “the ruin of a man” (3), just hadn’t gotten out of Starkfield in time. Now, as the narrator related, “There was something bleak and unapproachable in his face; and he was so stiffened and grizzled I took him
Despair Ethan Frome Despair is not anonymous, it has a name, and the name is Starkfield. "Guess he's been in Starkfield too many winters." This significant phrase describing Ethan Frome in the prologue of Edith Wharton's novel, Ethan Frome, provides insight into the most major theme portrayed in this story. The imagery of the harshness and despair of winter, first brought up in the prologue, is present in every aspect of this book. Winter describes the character of Zeena as well as
can be a long and winding path. One that Ethan didn’t know where to start from, or where to go when he was on it. Ethan struggled and ultimately failed in making key decisions to achieve happiness for himself. Instead of choosing happiness, Ethan chose to isolate himself from others and not pursue his feelings, even though it went against his own moral code and was not what he wanted to do. In the novel “Ethan Frome” by Edith Wharton, the title character, Ethan, immolates his euphoria so he can obtain
with Zeena’s sickness and it is mentioned that if Mattie were to get fired, she would have nowhere to go. This surprised me because based on the information we got about Mattie’s family’s wealth, we can assume that she grew up with advantages that Ethan and Zeena did not have. The readers do not get much insight to Zeena and Mattie’s hopes and dreams but I believe that being a helper in the Frome house is not Mattie’s big goal in life. “Mattie had no natural turn for housekeeping, and her training
Ethan Frome is to be held accountable for the destruction of his own life. He cannot make any decisions, for better or for worse. His indecision over what to do about his passionate, illicit feelings for Mattie and his dislike for Zeena are entirely his own fault. He is too cowardly to do anything. He attempts to hide his cowardice by blaming his indecision and its consequences on circumstance, but his true nature indubitably shows through. Instead of actually doing anything, he just waits for something
Character of Ethan Frome Ethan Frome, a tragic romance, first published in 1911, is widely regarded as Edith Wharton's most revealing novel and her finest achievement in fiction. Set in the bleak, barren winter landscape of New England, it is the tragic tale of a simple man, bound to the demands of his farm and his tyrannical, sickly wife, Zeena, and driven by his star-crossed love for Zeena's young cousin, Mattie Silver. An exemplary work of literary realism in setting and character, Ethan Frome