Edith Wharton

How can one possibly think the name Starkfield in the novel Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton is a coincidence? The isolation of the town as well as the cold severity of the constant bleak winter explicitly illustrates the literal meaning in the name Starkfield. Nothing an author presents is ever fortuity in well written literature, in particular in the novel Ethan Frome, written by Edith Wharton. The novel Ethan Frome is written in a manner utilizing flashbacks, a switch in point of views, a…

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…

Ethan Frome, by Edith Wharton is a tragic novella following Ethan Frome as he attempts to express his feelings for the one he truly loves, Mattie Silver. Ethan, however, is already married and feels obligated to care for his wife, Zeena. Over their 7 year marriage, Zeena has fallen perpetually ill and requires more aid than Ethan can give. In order to provide her the help she needs, they hire Mattie Silver, Zeena’s cousin. Zeena’s illness harks back to Ethan’s mother’s illness, from which Zeena…

Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton is a novel dealing with a young man’s persistent battle between his desires and moral principles. The story is set in 17th century New England in a rural community. The town of Starkfield is an area in which northern winters siege the inhabitants and hinder their daily lives. The characters within the novel must resist the frigid climate as it is a major impediment throughout the novel. Ultimately, Ethan Frome faces a conflict between his emotional desires and moral…

In the novel, Ethan Frome, Edith Wharton uses the country setting of Starkfield. The name “Starkfield” gives the reader a cold, hard impression of the snowy New England setting. Wharton conveys Starkfield as a place of primitivism and ignorance because of its isolation and bitterly cold climate. Ethan Frome, the protagonist, is a subject to his environment as he lives a cold, cyclic life. However, Ethan isn’t the only one who is affected by his environment, as Zeena and Mattie also live in…

who knew nothing of New England!” This quote was said by a critic who has read the novel “Ethan Frome.” The novel contains the aspects of love, hatred, and poverty throughout the novel. “Ethan Frome” was written by Edith Wharton and was written to practice the work of realism. Edith Wharton makes this novel as real as it could possibly get with the love affair between Ethan Frome and Mattie Silver, the hatred relationship of Zeena Frome and Mattie, and the lack of money and wealth in their…

spring cleaning, lift[ing] it with [her] own hands” (Wharton 69). She never brings down her dish, “not even when the minster come[s] to dinner, or [her] Aunt Martha Pierce” (Wharton 69). It is obvious that the pickle dish means so much to her that she wouldn’t use it, keeping it for storage. While yelling at both Mattie and Ethan, her “voice br[eaks] and two small tears h[a]ng from her lashless lids [that] ran slowly down her cheeks” (Wharton 68-69). Zeena was always described as coldhearted…

The book Ethan Frome was a fictional work written by Edith Wharton. The book was set in the fictional town of Starkfield, Massachusetts. Edith Wharton is an esteemed writer who received a Pulitzer Prize for her book, The Age of Innocence. Ethan Frome details the story of a man and his struggles with maintaining his daily life and marriage with his sickly wife. Throughout the book, each character is faced with life-changing choices that would affect at least one other character within the tale.…

the novella Ethan Frome, both Ethan and Zeena make references to things or ideas they value most. The author Edith Wharton, utilizes these characters’ attachments to convey information about both Zeena and Ethan, as well as the couple’s relationship. While Ethan values meaningful companionship and connecting with the outside world, Zeena values her pickle dish and her cat. Edith Wharton uses symbolism to explore the detrimental effects of physical and emotional isolation. The protagonist of…

Edith Wharton, a profound author of novels and short stories, in the 20th century, has a significant and unique twist on every page. Her writing style is all her own with the way she uses powerful imagery and ironic endings to create a literary masterpiece. Wharton begins to write at a slow pace, then invites the reader deeper into the plot as they get deeper into the book. The novel Ethan Frome and short story “Roman Fever”, both works of literature by Edith Wharton, show how Wharton layers her…