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
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
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
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 ‘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
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
This year in English class we read many stirring novels, two of which being The Awakening by Kate Chopin and Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton. On the surface, these books may look like they don’t have much in common due to their dissimilar plots. However, there are a few noticeable similarities between them; both protagonists in the novels, Edna Pontellier and Ethan Frome, are fighting a constant internal battle. They want things they can’t have, and the potential serenity they yearn for goes against
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
more ways than one. Mattie Silver helps in the Frome home 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
In the novel Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton, the protagonist Ethan Frome has an unusual personality. Along with this, Ethan’s motivations seem hidden. Ethan mainly associates with his wife Zeena and his young lover Mattie. The reason his social circle is limited is because the town has shunned him. The people have isolated him due to the decisions he has made. The story begins with the new town Reverend who forms a special interest in Ethan. Furthermore, the story goes back in time to explain why the
“After the mortal silence of his long imprisonment Zeena’s volubility was music in his ears” (Wharton 29). This quote is one of the numerous times that symbolism is used in the novel Ethan Frome. From the first couple of pages to the last chapter one can see the symbols Wharton uses giving the novel such character. The symbols deliver depth and such a greater meaning in this novel. As one reads just the very few pages of the book, symbols are relevant here and there. One of the first symbols introduced
Quotes” 1). In Edith Wharton’s framed novel, Ethan Frome, the main protagonist encounters “lost opportunity, failed romance, and disappointed dreams” with a regretful ending (Lilburn 1). Ethan Frome lives in the isolated fictional town of Starkfield, Massachusetts with his irritable spouse, Zenobia Frome. Ever since marriage, Zenobia, also referred to as Zeena, revolves around her illness. Furthermore, she is prone to silence, rage, and querulously shouting. Ethan has dreams of leaving Starkfield and selling
Ethan Frome, a novel written by Edith Wharton relies on the setting of Starkfield, Massachusetts to shape main character Ethan Frome’s life, his behaviors, and decisions. Starkfield provides a cold, lonely, and dark, isolated atmosphere, allowing the narrator to portray Ethan and his wife Zeena as miserable and feeling trapped. Their lives are tragic and repetitive, similar to the never changing setting in the town of Starkfield. Although, winter only takes place for 6 months, the novel only occurs
Ethan Frome In the novel Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton, Ethan’s wife Zeena plays an important role in the novel. Zeena changes Ethan through their marriage, and her illness. It is interesting when we find out that Zeena is actually Ethan’s cousin. It is questionable whether Zeena is sick or not. She often appears to be a hypochondriac. In the novel the narrator states that “Zeena, she’s always been the greatest hand at doctoring in the county” (5). If Zeena had the greatest hand at doctoring,
When I first knew I had to read a novel named Ethan Frome, I, without reading the back cover, suspected that it would be a boring biography of some historical and adventurous man of whom I would never head about outside of literature class. I was worried that I would have my usually difficult time getting involved with this book. However, I was pleasantly surprised that my interest began to grow as soon as page five. The first feeling I get from Ethan Frome is a sense of cold isolation. The cover of
Ethan Frome Hidden Meanings Ethan Frome: Hidden Meanings Ethan Frome is the story of a family caught in a deep-rooted domestic struggle. Ethan Frome is married to his first love Zeena, who becomes chronically ill over their long marriage. Due to his wife’s condition, they took the services of Zeena’s cousin, Mattie Silver. Mattie seems to be everything that Zeena is not, youthful, energetic, and healthy. Over time Ethan believes that he loves Mattie and wants to leave his wife for her. He struggles
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
In many ways, the ideas and themes expressed in Edith Wharton’s Ethan Frome are comparable to those detailed in Margaret Atwood’s poem, “February”. As both works of literature feature the cold winter months or a single harsh winter month as the respective settings for the pieces, the messages that the writers intend to convey to their readers is incredibly similar. In both cases, winter symbolizes the repression of love and passion and the increased frequency of depressing thoughts. Atwood writes
stereotypical and submissive roles. Three literary works that break from this trend are Edith Wharton’s Ethan Frome, Oscar Wilde’s An Ideal Husband, and George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion. These works examine themes of beauty and marriage, and feature female characters in prominent roles. But what influenced how male and female characters are portrayed in these pieces of literature? Examining Wharton’s Ethan Frome, Wilde’s An Ideal Husband, and Shaw’s Pygmalion from a feminist perspective reveals how gender