In Chapters VI - VIII in the novella Ethan Frome, both Ethan and Zeena make references to things or ideas they value most. The author Edith Wharton, utilizes these characters’ attachments to convey information about both Zeena and Ethan, as well as the couple’s relationship. While Ethan values meaningful companionship and connecting with the outside world, Zeena values her pickle dish and her cat. Edith Wharton uses symbolism to explore the detrimental effects of physical and emotional isolation.
The protagonist of the novella, Ethan Frome, values feelings or ideas more than physical objects. Ethan is desperately lonely, experiencing a disconnection from the outside world by living on a remote rural farm. Wharton sets Ethan in the secluded farmhouse to show the …show more content…
With his mother’s death, Ethan faces being alone again and makes a rash decision. “When he saw Zeena preparing to go away, he was seized with an unreasoning dread of being left alone...; and before he knew what he was doing, he asked her to stay there with him…” (59). What Ethan soon discovers, is that marrying Zeena does not fill his emotional void. Ethan yearns for a soul mate, but Zeena provides only physical, not meaningful companionship. With the arrival of Mattie, Ethan gets a taste of a meaningful relationship. “She had an eye to see and an ear to hear: he could show her things and tell her things, and taste the bliss of feeling that all he imparted left long reverberations (32). Ethan values Mattie as as a kindred spirit; she symbolizes Ethan’s escape from emotional isolation. Also with Mattie, Ethan can share an appreciation of nature. Since Ethan values connecting with the outside world, Mattie symbolizes an escape from the physical disconnection he feels from the world around him. Conversely, Zeena Frome values her possessions, such as an unused red pickle dish, (a marriage present), and her cat. On a rare occasion when Zeena
The protagonist of the novella, Ethan Frome, values feelings or ideas more than physical objects. Ethan is desperately lonely, experiencing a disconnection from the outside world by living on a remote rural farm. Wharton sets Ethan in the secluded farmhouse to show the …show more content…
With his mother’s death, Ethan faces being alone again and makes a rash decision. “When he saw Zeena preparing to go away, he was seized with an unreasoning dread of being left alone...; and before he knew what he was doing, he asked her to stay there with him…” (59). What Ethan soon discovers, is that marrying Zeena does not fill his emotional void. Ethan yearns for a soul mate, but Zeena provides only physical, not meaningful companionship. With the arrival of Mattie, Ethan gets a taste of a meaningful relationship. “She had an eye to see and an ear to hear: he could show her things and tell her things, and taste the bliss of feeling that all he imparted left long reverberations (32). Ethan values Mattie as as a kindred spirit; she symbolizes Ethan’s escape from emotional isolation. Also with Mattie, Ethan can share an appreciation of nature. Since Ethan values connecting with the outside world, Mattie symbolizes an escape from the physical disconnection he feels from the world around him. Conversely, Zeena Frome values her possessions, such as an unused red pickle dish, (a marriage present), and her cat. On a rare occasion when Zeena