Independent Reading Quarter One
Ethan Frome is a man with personal issues that come from his past experiences. The past experiences that he has faced have let a mark on him mentally that cannot be erased. From this stems his inner conflicts when it comes to desire and society. These inner personal conflicts can be connected as well with the main characters in the books “The Awakening” and “1984”. The internal conflicts that he faces in this novel are the direct result of society as it is in the other novels as well.
From the beginning of the novel “Ethan Frome”, you can tell that he has had many internal struggles. One of the main internal struggles Ethan faces is his love for Mattie despite the fact that he is married to his wife Zeena. . …show more content…
Their society stresses the idea that love and sexuality is a duty. This has a direct effect on the main character Winston. His want to rebel against the party’s harsh social constraints combined with his failed first marriage to Katherine is a major driving force to a decision that affected many of his future decisions. Winston’s internal struggle with love/passion is a direct connection to Ethan’s internal struggle with his feelings for Mattie. Both characters have an issue with a wife or ex-wife that causes emotional damage and because of society it is deemed unacceptable for them to move on to someone else. This internal struggle in the search of someone who understands them leads to both of them finding someone new who affects their actions. Again though, Ethan’s struggle was only intensified by this new relationship because he was faced with either staying with his unattractive and sick wife because he is weighed down by the duty society says he owes her, or leaving her for Mattie which is also against what society says is acceptable in a relationship. This brings out the mental damage that can come from the subconscious fear of societal …show more content…
Edna starts off entrapped by the standards of society, just fitting in and going along with the role she was getting even though she was far from happy. Through a search into her true feelings and many hard decisions she realizes that she is more than what society has labelled her as; no longer is she a “mother-woman”, she is a women on the way to find true passion and independence. Kate Chopin’s main goal in the “The Awakening” is not only to highlight the stress that social stereotypes can place on someone, but she also wants to show the reader that it is okay to break away from the social norm when it strongly conflicts with your values and who you really are. Edna is driven enough to leave her own family, sacrifice her image, and declare herself open to have relationships with other people despite the fact that she is technically still married to Leonce. This can be seen through her affairs with Arobin and with Robert. Kate Chopin pushes the boundaries of what many people feel are selfish and unforgiving deeds. By doing this she allows the reader to see just what the pressure of society’s standards, views and stereotypes can push someone into
Ethan Frome is a man with personal issues that come from his past experiences. The past experiences that he has faced have let a mark on him mentally that cannot be erased. From this stems his inner conflicts when it comes to desire and society. These inner personal conflicts can be connected as well with the main characters in the books “The Awakening” and “1984”. The internal conflicts that he faces in this novel are the direct result of society as it is in the other novels as well.
From the beginning of the novel “Ethan Frome”, you can tell that he has had many internal struggles. One of the main internal struggles Ethan faces is his love for Mattie despite the fact that he is married to his wife Zeena. . …show more content…
Their society stresses the idea that love and sexuality is a duty. This has a direct effect on the main character Winston. His want to rebel against the party’s harsh social constraints combined with his failed first marriage to Katherine is a major driving force to a decision that affected many of his future decisions. Winston’s internal struggle with love/passion is a direct connection to Ethan’s internal struggle with his feelings for Mattie. Both characters have an issue with a wife or ex-wife that causes emotional damage and because of society it is deemed unacceptable for them to move on to someone else. This internal struggle in the search of someone who understands them leads to both of them finding someone new who affects their actions. Again though, Ethan’s struggle was only intensified by this new relationship because he was faced with either staying with his unattractive and sick wife because he is weighed down by the duty society says he owes her, or leaving her for Mattie which is also against what society says is acceptable in a relationship. This brings out the mental damage that can come from the subconscious fear of societal …show more content…
Edna starts off entrapped by the standards of society, just fitting in and going along with the role she was getting even though she was far from happy. Through a search into her true feelings and many hard decisions she realizes that she is more than what society has labelled her as; no longer is she a “mother-woman”, she is a women on the way to find true passion and independence. Kate Chopin’s main goal in the “The Awakening” is not only to highlight the stress that social stereotypes can place on someone, but she also wants to show the reader that it is okay to break away from the social norm when it strongly conflicts with your values and who you really are. Edna is driven enough to leave her own family, sacrifice her image, and declare herself open to have relationships with other people despite the fact that she is technically still married to Leonce. This can be seen through her affairs with Arobin and with Robert. Kate Chopin pushes the boundaries of what many people feel are selfish and unforgiving deeds. By doing this she allows the reader to see just what the pressure of society’s standards, views and stereotypes can push someone into