A Failed Marriage In Edith Wharton's Ethan Frome

A Failed Marriage Marriage values have drastically changed between the time of the first airmail flight to the election of the first African American president. Along with values, statics have also seen an increase in divorces and rights available to women which revolutionized the role of women at home. Although some may see marriage as a mutual relationship, many would see it as a prison. Many problems arise from the incompatibility of the significant others and is usually fueled by their distinct personalities. In Edith Wharton’s Ethan Frome, Wharton exemplifies a red pickle dish as a fragile object that is reminiscent of the vulnerable relationships which leads to the eventual demise of the Fromes.
One may imagine that a simple pickle dish …show more content…
The red dish symbolizes danger and passion so Mattie is represented as the seductress. Ethan on the other hand attempts to balance his life through constant phases of consciousness. Due to the passivity of the couple, their relationship is rocky. Ethan remembers “when the door of her room had closed on her he remembered that he had not even touched her hand.” (Wharton 85). Mattie and Ethan are very passive about their feelings so they show conflicting signs towards each other. This leads to misunderstandings and the evasiveness to keep the affair away from Zeena. Also, Zeena later catches on to the scheme and personified as the cat, the “toxic” presence of Zeena keeps Ethan and Mattie separate. Zeena will constantly try to separate Ethan and Mattie but the major factor is Ethan’s infidelity. He wishes to be with Mattie but struggles with the ties of responsibility and duty as a husband to Zeena. This drags out the relationship between Ethan and Mattie. Mattie on the other hand, is very submissive to Ethan and makes Ethan feel useful under the harsh remarks of Zeena. Their relationship is very shallow since both parties are only looking to fulfill a missing piece to themselves under dire …show more content…
In Wharton’s time, the woman had to uphold their position as a housewife and thus, was usually portrayed as weak. They are supposed to be caring and although Zeena eventually cared for the physically and mentally unstable Mattie and Ethan, Ethan’s final decision to leave Mattie for Zeena led to the tragic outcome. His decision, impacted by the patriarchal society led him to act chivalrous and attempt to fix the problems he caused. Wharton was influenced by the social cues in the elite lives of her family and friends that women cannot pursue happiness since they were secondary to men. In today’s society, compatibility is important in building a successful relationship since women can make their decisions in life. They can leave their marriage without facing the scrutiny of society and have their own lives separate from the household. If Ethan Frome was set in the twenty-first century, would the outcome of the novella be more