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
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