The Elements Of Symbolism In Edith Wharton's Ethan Frome

Superior Essays
In Psychology, there are many different perspectives. Through these differing perspectives, psychologists may see the same issue through different eyes. With the Behaviorist approach, the environment of the patient contributes to the problem the patient has. Things like where the patient lives and Similarly, the setting of the novella Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton contributes to a deeper meaning other than a description of the place where Wharton stages the story. Undoubtedly, Edith Wharton uses the setting to illuminate the qualities of Naturalism, create symbolism, and develop the persona of Ethan Frome in her novella of the same name. Certainly, Edith Wharton’s use of setting in Ethan Frome categorizes the novella as a literary work in …show more content…
For this reason, the setting of Wharton’s novella, Starkfield, Massachusetts, holds a symbol within its name. Stark, by definition, means “having a very plain and often cold or empty appearance, unpleasant and difficult to accept or experience”(Merriam Webster). This, essentially describes Starkfield perfectly. This town in Massachusetts has a barren and desolate landscape, or, as Wharton describes in the prologue, “When I had been there a little longer, and had seen this phase of crystal clearness followed by long stretches of sunless cold; when the storms of February had pitched their white tents about the devoted village and the wild cavalry of March winds had charged down to their support; I began to understand why Starkfield emerged from its six months’ siege like a starved garrison capitulating without quarter”(6). Here, Wharton portrays Starkfield as a prison under an unrelenting barrage of snow that buries its inhabitants six feet under snow. The town also buries the hopes and dreams of the inhabitants with the desolate and gloomy forces of Mother Nature.The bleak landscape adds a mood of helplessness. All of the inhabitants are, essentially, trapped by the town. Ethan himself had hopes of becoming an engineer, yet was held in the town by his marriage with Zeena and her sickliness, which may have stemmed from the depressing town. In addition to the name of the town, the setting of Ethan Frome symbolizes passion with its use of the color red. Specifically, red is always associated with Mattie Silver; her character is allways wearing red. She wears a red ribbon during Ethan and Mattie’s first dinner alone, and a red scarf at the church dance. In fact, Ethan recognizes Mattie by her scarf whirling around the dance floor. In “Chapter II,” Ethan walks to the church to pick Mattie up from her night of socializing at the

Related Documents

  • Decent Essays

    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…

    • 282 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Analytical Book Report “…and I say, if she’d ha’ died, Ethan might ha’ lived; and the way they are now, I don’t see’s there’s much difference between the Fromes up at the farm and the Fromes down in the graveyard; ‘cept that down there they’re all quiet, and the women have got to hold their tongues” (77). Ethan Frome is a fictional drama and romance novella written by Edith Wharton. Throughout this story, the protagonist, Ethan Frome, must contend with some difficult aspects of his past. This character’s past negatively affects his present activities, attitudes, and values. The recurring theme throughout this story is the presence of silence.…

    • 697 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The two books contain, lust, a love triangle, attempted murder, heartbreak, and much more. Ethane Frome is a story about a man, Ethan Frome, who falls in love with his very “unhealthy”…

    • 1072 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    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.…

    • 882 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Hunting trips are used as a bonding experience between friends and as a break from the many struggles that life contains. Although in some circumstances people’s intentions can be misguided and harmful to others. In American author Tobias Wolff’s short story “Hunters in the Snow” (1980), he looks into the moral unawareness of three friends. Three men go on a hunting trip where one gets shot and the other two blindly attempt to take him to the hospital. Wolff utilizes setting, symbolism, and characterization to convey the selfishness of the three characters and their apathy towards others.…

    • 1488 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Ethan Frome's Decision

    • 393 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Ethan Frome was a peculiar man in his time, but when evaluating the decisions he made, we may notice similar situations. Ethan was left with a decision that many people have encountered. Zeena was a stubborn woman with an excuse that would cloud Ethan’s judgment. Mattie was the ticket out of his life. Ethan fought back and forth with the decision he encountered.…

    • 393 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    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.…

    • 808 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    With Ethan working constantly at the Farm to make ends meet, it became apparent to the Frome’s that they were in desperate need of some extra help. Coincidently, Zeena’s cousin Mattie Silver was looking for somewhere to stay since she had been turned away by many other friends and relatives because her father had cheated them during various business interactions. None of Mattie’s friends or family had any interest in helping her financially which ultimately left Mattie with a feeling of helplessness, a feeling in which the Frome’s were very familiar with. Within moments of seeing Mattie for the first time, Ethan Frome instantly knew what he wanted, even with the many obstacles in the way. At first, the feelings were mutual as Ethan was very shy and skeptical of any possibility to be close to her like he wanted to be.…

    • 632 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    One of Ethan Frome’s centric ideas is that Ethan retreats from life into a vision. He escapes his reality to enjoy a few blissful moments in his dream, but never acts to make that dream come true. Harmon Gow says, “Guess he’s been in Starkfield too many winters. Most of the smart ones get away. ”(Wharton 6) While having every reason to leave Starkfield and his querulous wife, Ethan doesn’t.…

    • 865 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In the book Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton, a man named Ethan who lives on his family’s farm with no hope of leaving, struggles to support and to love his wife. When he begins to fall for his wife’s cousin who is helping out in the house during the midst of a cold depressing winter, she begins to turn it into a winter wonderland. Many aspects of the book lead up to the suicide attempt of Mattie and Ethan; it all starts with Mattie turning down Denis Eady and then Ethan kissing the cloth. Everything swirls into a whirlwind of love, sadness and madness. 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 and echoes he could wake at will.…

    • 737 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The treatment of people with mental illnesses and handicaps has been a long lasting problem because of the misunderstandings of police, mental hospitals, and society. Many documentaries and movies have been made to show the lives lead in mental hospitals and institutions. News reports have talked about police shooting suspects who have been mentally ill. Most of these events could have been avoided if people could try and learn about mental illnesses, instead of hiding them away from the rest of the world. Just because they are physically or mentally different from the norm, society expects them to be maintained at an institution like dogs in a dog pound.…

    • 2391 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The setting of a story is the place, time, or language that describes where the primary events take place. The setting of a story essentially sets of the basis of the story. It creates limits for the events of the story based off of where they take place, in the aspect of both time and date. Throughout the years, in not only America, but around the world certain types of pieces become very popular for short periods of time. Some of these will come to be known as eras, others just phases in literature.…

    • 1401 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    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,…

    • 1443 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The historical fiction genre of the novel aptly captures Ethan’s morose circumstances, encompassed by irony. Edith Wharton constantly used irony in her novel to delineate her characters and the blatant misery in the plot. One of the ironies was when Ethan repeatedly saw Zeena’s face in the rocking chair while coasting; this instance is ironic because of how Ethan is deliberately coasting with Mattie to avoid Zeena, yet her face appears in front of him, demonstrating how he could never leave his stark reality in Starkfield. Another ironic instance was when Mattie mirrored Zeena’s locking the door in that rigid manner; this is ironic because of how Mattie, the only lively entity left in Ethan’s life, was becoming stark, silent, and serious like Zeena. Ethan Frome’s life was encompassed in such subtle moments of irony, or quirks of fate.…

    • 1921 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Starkfield; where “the vitality of the climate and the deadness of the community” perfectly affects a place where nature is the ruling factor (Wharton 7). Edith Wharton 's Ethan Frome depicts a town that is heavily affected by nature and through her rich language, Wharton creates a world that is abundant with imagery, but lacking in the development of characters. It 's people are a product of their environment and thus cannot escape it 's role in their lives. Thus nature in the novel is overpowering its characters. Due to these traits, this book is primarily a naturalistic text.…

    • 1102 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays

Related Topics