For millennia, authors have used repetition for effect within their writings. In fact, four books in the Bible foreshadow the coming of Christ: Isaiah, Micah, Zechariah, and Psalms. These four authors reiterate this to emphasize an important piece of the Bible. Similarly, authors in literature use motifs, recurring themes, literary devices, and ideas, to enhance their books. For example, Edith Wharton repeatedly uses motifs to highlight important pieces in her novella. Specifically, Wharton involves the motifs man as a victim of fate, snow and cold, and the power of silence and isolation to create greater meaning in Ethan Frome.
Undoubtedly, the motif man as a victim of fate shows up repeatedly to add depth to Edith Wharton’s short novel. …show more content…
Wharton first shows this motif through Ethan’s mother’s deteriorating mind to show readers the extensive amount of negative effects that silence can have on people. After Ethan’s father died, his mother, began to go crazy: “...but after her ‘trouble’ the sound of her voice was seldom heard, though she had not lost the power of speech. Sometimes, in the long winter evenings, when in desperation her son asked her why she didn’t ‘say something,’ she would lift a finger and answer: ‘Because I’m listening,”’ states Wharton (45). Wharton creates this character to accentuate the motif of the power of silence and isolation through her insanity. The silence began after Ethan’s father died, and it seems as though his death resulted in Ethan’s mother’s madness. Ethan’s sick mother shows readers silence and isolation often result in deranged actions for those who feel alone. Humans are social creatures, and Wharton shows that in the absence of others, humans can become lonely, resulting in more serious problems. Once more, Edith Wharton characterizes Ethan Frome by establishing the motif silence and isolation through Ethan asking Zeena to marry him. Ethan cannot bear living alone, and will take any opportunity to insure he doesn’t. Showing this, Wharton writes, “After the funeral, when he saw her preparing to go away, he was seized with an unreasonable dread of being left alone on the farm” (46). Through the theme of the power of silence and isolation, Wharton exposes one of Ethan’s many weaknesses, making rational decisions. Because Ethan didn’t want to live alone any longer he made possibly the worst decision of his life, marrying Zeena. This one decision made the rest of his life miserable. Had Ethan thought more about his marriage and its commitment, he would not live such an awful life. Through
Undoubtedly, the motif man as a victim of fate shows up repeatedly to add depth to Edith Wharton’s short novel. …show more content…
Wharton first shows this motif through Ethan’s mother’s deteriorating mind to show readers the extensive amount of negative effects that silence can have on people. After Ethan’s father died, his mother, began to go crazy: “...but after her ‘trouble’ the sound of her voice was seldom heard, though she had not lost the power of speech. Sometimes, in the long winter evenings, when in desperation her son asked her why she didn’t ‘say something,’ she would lift a finger and answer: ‘Because I’m listening,”’ states Wharton (45). Wharton creates this character to accentuate the motif of the power of silence and isolation through her insanity. The silence began after Ethan’s father died, and it seems as though his death resulted in Ethan’s mother’s madness. Ethan’s sick mother shows readers silence and isolation often result in deranged actions for those who feel alone. Humans are social creatures, and Wharton shows that in the absence of others, humans can become lonely, resulting in more serious problems. Once more, Edith Wharton characterizes Ethan Frome by establishing the motif silence and isolation through Ethan asking Zeena to marry him. Ethan cannot bear living alone, and will take any opportunity to insure he doesn’t. Showing this, Wharton writes, “After the funeral, when he saw her preparing to go away, he was seized with an unreasonable dread of being left alone on the farm” (46). Through the theme of the power of silence and isolation, Wharton exposes one of Ethan’s many weaknesses, making rational decisions. Because Ethan didn’t want to live alone any longer he made possibly the worst decision of his life, marrying Zeena. This one decision made the rest of his life miserable. Had Ethan thought more about his marriage and its commitment, he would not live such an awful life. Through