An Analysis of Ethan Frome 's Predisposition to Defeat In Edith Wharton 's novel Ethan Frome, a crippling "smash up" coasting "accident" traps Ethan Frome and his wife Zenobia as well as his housemaid Mattie Silver in their bleak farmhouse for 24 years. Starkfield, a small city that has devastating winters, is where the story takes place. A city where anybody who lives there, does not have many opportunities. This can be seen in the book when Harmon Gow, an onlooker, says, "Guess he 's been in Starkfield…
ironically it doesn 't always materialize, just as in the novel Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton. The main protagonist in this novel is Ethan Frome. He renders the impression of a man to be pitied because faith has dealt him with a bad hand. But, it could be argued that it is because of Ethane lack of common sense, faith itself did not deal him a bad hand, but he chooses the path that led him down to a desolate road. The story of Ethan Frome takes place in the Starkfield, Massachusetts during the cold…
Edith Wharton’s novel, Ethan Frome, takes place in the fictional, small town of Starkfield. The novel is divided into three main parts: a twelve page introduction, nine short chapters, and a brief conclusion. The introduction is a short description of Ethan Frome’s life in Starkfield up until the story begins, the nine chapters describe the events of four February days around the late 1890s, and the conclusion is a brief description of what happens after these four days. This small town, wintery…
Ethan Frome, the titular character, has lived a very lamentable life, beginning with the injury and death of his father. This was then followed by the mental deterioration and death of his mother, which left Ethan with no one but Zeena, the woman who took care of his ailing mother. Afraid of being alone during the dreadful Starkfield winter, Ethan asked Zeena to marry him, even though he did not love her. Years later, Zeena’s cousin Mattie Silver came to live with the Fromes after her father’s death…
Edith Wharton, Ethan Frome, is a tragedy. Ethan Frome suffered tragedy because of his character flaws, errors in his judgment, and forces beyond his control. Ethan Frome married a woman, Zeena, he was lonely and not truly in love with her. When her cousin, Maddie comes to live with them Ethan becomes infatuated with her. When Maddie has to leave, Ethan and Maddie decide to kill themselves so they never would have to leave one another. In the novella of Edith Wharton, Ethan Frome, Ethan is a unique character…
Ethan Frome, a fiction novel written by Edith Wharton relies on the setting of Starkfield, Massachusets to shape its inhabitants’ lives, their behaviors, and decisions. Starkfield provides a cold, lonely, and dark, isolated atmosphere, allowing Wharton to portray the characters in the novel as miserable and feeling trapped. The characters’ lives become unwanted, broken records similar to the continuous and never changing setting and climate of Starkfield. The use of imagery illustrated in the novel…
Setting Analysis of Ethan Frome By: Mary Thompson Ethan Frome Analysis In Edith Wharton’s novel Ethan Frome, setting is an important element. The setting greatly influences the characters, transportation, and activities. The setting takes place in a small town called “Starkfield”. Starkfield is a town that is just like its name, it is boring, barren, severe, and harsh. Starkfield is known for its many harsh winters that leave the inhabitants bitter and in harsh condition. Starkfield…
This paper will present how things change in Ethan Frome. I will mention about how the book jumps back and forth from future to the past and back to future. Then I will mention about the relationship between the characters in Ethan Frome. Next I will talk about the ending of the book. Lastly I will give my opinion about the book and if I would recommend this book to anyone. When you first star to read the book Ethan Frome it is in the future. The book starts off when a ‘visitor to Starkfield, Massachusetts…
Everything changed after she married her husband Ethan. She was no longer the young girl taking care of a woman who needed help, but she was now the woman who needed help by another person. Her husband Ethan fell in love with her during a winter storm kind of in a forced relationship because they were both lonely, especially Ethan who just lost his mother. Zeena was staying in the house until she found a place to live, but Ethan soon fell in love with her since she was the only female nearby, and…
Edith Wharton's tale of Ethan Frome is a classic story of hopeful romance ending in tragedy. We are introduced to Ethan as he's walking to pick up his wife's cousin Mattie, at a church social. On the way, we witness some of Ethan's thoughts about his life and the people in it. By the end of Chapter One, the readers begin to understand the way Ethan views himself, Mattie, and Zeena, and the way these characters might influence the events in the novel. We learn much about Ethan during his walk to the…