Ethan Frome Symbolism Analysis

In Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton, symbolism plays a major role in the story. In order for the symbols in his story to “pop” out or show its “shine” Edith Wharton uses symbols that can be found in the story, and even uses the historical background that the symbol may have in society or in myths, for the symbols that appear in the story. In Edith Wharton story Ethan Frome, the symbols that are important in the story and in its plot are the color red, Zeena’s pet cat, Zeena’s best dish which got shattered into millions of pieces, and the white winter snow that falls over Starkfield. Although many would think that these four symbols that are mention are not really important at all, but in reality, these four symbols do in fact play a major role …show more content…
Not only does the snow sets the mood of the story, but it will help with telling the dark secrets that everyone at Starkfield have on themselves or to each other that they cannot keep within themselves. While the snow falls over Starkfield, not only does it have an effect on people’s emotion, but the winter snow does symbolize the dark secrets that have happen in the past and the town’s history. While the story does take place during the winter, the snow can play a role to the story and to the history of one’s past even if it is not very pure. In history, a winter snow will be both a good thing and a bad thing because it can lead to a peaceful day in the park or a savage blizzard that will last for weeks, but in Ethan Frome the author uses the winter snow in a unique way and style to symbolize the winter snow. Before the finale sled ride of Ethan and Mattie the winter snow would be peaceful and still have some purity in it, but as they took the final ride to committee a double suicide the snow would be dark and filled with some rough objects on the road as they went down the hill not only once, but twice before the accident happened to them; the worst that the snow would show how that after the accident of Ethan and Mattie it would be hard to tell as Mrs. Hale quotes “one would have supposed that such an atmosphere must quicken the emotions as well as the blood” (Wharton 3) as the …show more content…
While each symbols played a major role in the story, what is really important is how important they are to give the story its kicks and sparks to the story that is filled with mystery, hope, lust, and a failed double suicide between two lovebirds does show that no matter what happened to each character, it did happened to people in really life. How is this true we may never know or that we do know the reason, but they are too afraid to admit about it at all, but in the end the symbols in the story are the color red, Zeena’s pet cat, Zeena’s best dish, and the winter snow that falls over the town of Starkfield do in fact play important and even major roles in order to shape the story to its famous images. Each of these four symbols that Wharton uses helps shape and brings that story to life and without them readers will never know or even understand how the story got the images that it has in Ethan Frome that made to really unique and enjoyable to the readers in real