Ethan Frome takes place in a small town in Massachusetts called Starkfield where he has a wife named Zeena but their marriage is falling apart and he is wanting to get out of the marriage but his wife Zeena isn’t quite letting the marriage end just yet, but when a new housekeeper named Mattie comes to take care of the house Ethan begins to fall for her. I believe that Ethan Frome is naturalism because I feel like there was more things showing that choices didn’t matter like when Zeena hired a new housekeeper and forced Mattie out of the house where she had nowhere to go. I think it also naturalism because Ethan and Mattie had to find an alternative ways to still try to see each other after Mattie has to move away. I also believe that Ethan Frome is naturalism because Ethan has to hurry home from work one night to get glue to try and fix the red pickle dish that the cat had knocked over and that had broke when it fell and hit the floor. It shows naturalism because Ethan had to try to fix it so Zeena didn’t come home and see it and freak out more then she would’ve when she saw it trying to be fixed by gluing it back together.…
Mia Pollini AP 11 Literature Scene Analysis: Ethan Frome In Edith Wharton’s novella Ethan Frome, certain elements from Chapter 5, where Ethan and young Mattie spend a romantic night alone at home in Ethan’s wife’s absence, emphasize the theme of desire versus morality. These elements, such as the domestic setting where the two face the conflict of whether Ethan will act on his affectionate feelings towards Mattie so the two can be together despite both society and Ethan’s strict sense of morals highlight the idea that being ethical is more important than personal wants. For example, as they sit in “the lamplit room with its… implications of conformity and order” Ethan feels that Mattie is “farther…and unapproachable” compared to when they’d…
Secondly, Ethan complies with Zenobia when she sends Mattie away to replace her with a new girl, “"You can 't go, Matt! I won 't let you! She 's always had her way, but I mean to have mine now—” (Wharton 67). At first Ethan plans on disagreeing with Zenobia, but in the end complies. This ends up sending Mattie away but actually result in them deciding to have the coasting accident and results in Ethan and Mattie get trapped.…
Ethan Frome is a novel written by Edith Wharton in 1911. Ethan is caught between love and morality as he is married but is in love with another woman. He is being treated horribly by his wife Zeena, and sees her cousin and caretaker Mattie as his only chance at love. The broken pickle dish, the cat, and the sled all symbolize the war Ethan was facing between love and responsibility.…
The plot of both stories definitely revolve around this, especially Ethan Frome. In Ethan Frome, the love triangle he has with his wife and Mattie is what the story is based on. He wrestles with himself plenty on what he should do with his situation. More times than once he decides to run away with Mattie, leave Zeena, and never look back. But his conscience and knowing Zeena needs him, much like his parents did, are holding him back.…
Edith Wharton, author of “Ethan Frome,” wrote a twisted love story that ends tragically. Mattie Silver moves to Starkfield MA with her cousin, Zeena Frome and her husband Ethan Frome. She moves in with them in after her father dies. After a while, Mattie and Ethan fall in love. They try to commit suicide together and are unsuccessful and are permanently disabled.…
In Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton, Ethan is shown to have many internal and external problems. This brings the question, “What is the primary cause for these problems?” into the readers mind. Many readers would say it is Zeena and her illness always bringing Ethan down. Some people say it is Maddie leading him on to get with her.…
Yet, she still is hesitant to commit to a full romantic relationship with Ethan. Evidence exists that show that the situation between the two are awkward and Mattie does not know how to respond despite being aware of the circumstances. After Ethan and Mattie finishes supper, Mattie sat by a lamp to sew while Ethan watches on from the living room. From his position, Ethan cannot get a full view of Mattie; he calls for her to come nearer. The author describes, “Zeena’s empty rocking-chair stood facing him.…
One thing Ethan does know for sure is that Zeena is not the same as once he married her. Even though, winter had a part in their marriage. He knew that she was still okay to marry. Now, Ethan is trying to figure why he married her and how to get out of the marriage with her. Zeena is not what Ethan wants anymore because her being sick all of the time.…
The Tragedy Paper Review The Tragedy Paper by Elizabeth LaBan tells riveting narratives alternating between two contrasting perspectives, Duncan’s experiences and Tim’s recollection. LaBan illustrates a relatable road to self-discovery through the eyes of Tim, a misfit. I was completely captivated by the story, LaBan meshed the two plotlines perfectly to make me want to continue reading. Throughout the book, Laban brings the reader along with Duncan Meade during his senior year at The Irving School. At school, Duncan encounters CDs from the outcast boy, Tim, that lived in his room the previous year.…
He not longer feels as much for Zeena as he use too, because of how sick Zeena has gotten. As Zeena became very sick she started losing her beauty that Ethan once…
“The English Malady”, now known as hypochondria, was considered to be a “bizarre and contradictory [way to instill] irrationality” (Mullan 142). About 300 years later, hypochondria has changed from a disease to merely a side effect of social isolation. Throughout the novella, Ethan Frome, both Ethan and his wife, Zeena suffer from social isolation; however, the length and extent of this isolation affects them in different ways. Zeena suffers in a more obvious way, nagging for attention and having hypochondria, while Ethan suffers in a more subtle way, clinging onto any women that enter his life and having morbid thoughts when things don’t go as planned. Ethan and his wife live in the town of Starkfield, which is characterized by a lack of warmth,…
He is left alone by the townspeople and shunned to a certain degree. Even though some may engage in small talk, Ethan is still an outcast from the people who used to speak to him…
Guilt is a deep seeded emotion that often drives behavior, even unknowingly. This is Ethan’s struggle. And, distinguishing between illusion and reality intensifies both the guilt and the isolation. Guilt, isolation and illusion/reality are the three most significant themes present in Edith Wharton’s novel Ethan Frome because these are the themes that mold,…
When his mother became ill, the house became lonely and silent; only when Zeena arrived did Ethan restore his balance, describing Zeena as “smart” and “efficient”, words he would later regret (Wharton 61). Following his mother’s unfortunate death, left with only Zeena, Ethan asked her to stay with him, simply to avoid loneliness; the irony here is that, within one year, Zeena became sickly and silent, just like his mother! The love between Ethan and Mattie itself was unsuccessful, never meant to happen. When Ruth and Ned had kissed under the spruces, they had done so legitimately, since they were an engaged couple (even though they were…