Analysis Of Ethan Frome By Edith Wharton

Ethan Frome, a 1911 novel by Edith Wharton is a novel featuring uniquely American characters. The novel itself begins and ends in the present, that is the time that the book was published, but the bulk is told in flashback. The flashbacks serve to explain how Ethan has ended up as he has and filling in the back story, which includes no shortage of pain and suffering to the point that it is beyond any possible justification. The book itself is also moral in many respects and while these can be considered American themes, that is, suffering pain in silence and morality, it is in the fierce independence of the characters that they also embody uniquely American values. For the reader, the book's most satisfying aspect is its conclusion in which everything falls into place exactly as foreshadowed, but not in the manner than the characters - or the reader - would have expected (Bentley, 1995). These people, themselves the product of Starkfield's harsh winters, themselves become harsh …show more content…
When Zeena suggests what an effective suicide pact to Ethan actually is, she knows it is wrong, Ethan knows it is wrong and the reader knows it is wrong. Everyone involved, including the reader, knows that this is madness motivated by more madness and things can only turn out badly, assuming there is a fundamental morality to the book (Raphael, 1991). And therein is the poetic justice: Zeena and Ethan do end up together, forever, albeit not in bliss, but in misery. This is because Zeena and Mattie have effectively changed their roles in Ethan's life, Zeena is now the invalid and Mattie looks after them both.

Thus, not is readily apparent that the characters in the novel Ethan From are uniquely American because they are products of the New England environment, while embodying American Values. These values include enduring suffering, and being on the receiving end of what must be a divine judgment of their