In her realist novel, Ethan Frome, Edith Wharton strategically crafts a story that highlights the contrast between two opposing archetypal images, winter and darkness versus summer and light, in order to draw forth a comparison between the effect that both Zeena, Ethan’s wife, and Mattie, Ethan’s love interest, have on Ethan. Zeena’s stark personality and depressive aura causes her to exemplify the desolate qualities of winter, dragging Ethan into a life classified by lonely days and even lonelier nights. On the other hand, Mattie stands on the opposite side of the spectrum as seen in her warm personality that seemingly melts away the cold layer of isolation cast upon him by Zeena. This constant switching from liveliness to a lack of it characterizes Ethan as somewhat of a
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Continuously throughout the novel, both Zeena and Mattie are categorized by their opposing stances in the level of hope that they present to Ethan. Zeena surrounds Ethan with the overwhelming truth of how the desolation of Starkfield has seeped into their lives and the hopelessness of that fact is inescapable. Mattie, however, breathes new life into Ethan’s seemingly empty future and gives him the opportunity to finally seek a life filled with the happiness he has always envisioned, but has never had. The description that Wharton gives to the reader to sum up all of Zeena’s “life-sucking” qualities comes from the point of view of Ethan himself. He bluntly states that “she had taken everything else from him” (Wharton 103), which demonstrates clear animosity towards Zeena. Similar to the deadening and life-sucking effect of winter on the thriving life of the summer, Zeena mirrors its destructive qualities in the way that she sucks all hope and happiness out of Ethan’s life. Yet, despite Ethan’s discontempt of this bold truth, he has not taken to any form of retaliation up to this point
Continuously throughout the novel, both Zeena and Mattie are categorized by their opposing stances in the level of hope that they present to Ethan. Zeena surrounds Ethan with the overwhelming truth of how the desolation of Starkfield has seeped into their lives and the hopelessness of that fact is inescapable. Mattie, however, breathes new life into Ethan’s seemingly empty future and gives him the opportunity to finally seek a life filled with the happiness he has always envisioned, but has never had. The description that Wharton gives to the reader to sum up all of Zeena’s “life-sucking” qualities comes from the point of view of Ethan himself. He bluntly states that “she had taken everything else from him” (Wharton 103), which demonstrates clear animosity towards Zeena. Similar to the deadening and life-sucking effect of winter on the thriving life of the summer, Zeena mirrors its destructive qualities in the way that she sucks all hope and happiness out of Ethan’s life. Yet, despite Ethan’s discontempt of this bold truth, he has not taken to any form of retaliation up to this point