Ethan Frome

Ethan Frome is a harrowing tale of one man’s bitter failures in life. Our protagonist, the novel’s namesake, is surrounded by pestilence and misfortune. However, these follies cannot be dismissed as fate, for it is Ethan’s own choices that decide his future. The main theme which nearly all of the characters suffer from is hopelessness. In the exposition as the reader is introduced to the character of Ethan Frome, it is made clear his problem is that he never left his hometown: “‘Guess he’s…

Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton is a love story that shows the development of a love triangle in the early 1900's. The story shows the development of deep feelings that Ethan begins to have for a woman that isn't his wife. Edith Wharton chose one of her main themes in the novel to be about alienation and isolation. One of the factors that contributes to the theme of isolation is the setting. Ethan Frome takes place in the rural town Starkfield, Massachusetts. Starkfield has always been a very…

Jessica Howze AP Literature Adams 16 December 2016 2nd 9 Weeks Essay Harmon Gow said of Ethan in Ethan Frome, “how could any combination of obstacles have hindered the flight of a man like Ethan?” In Ethan Frome, the main character Ethan is stuck in the town of Starkfield. The question of why he hasn’t left is a main theme in the novel. The combination of this theme and the motif of illness and disability hinder Ethan’s flight from the town of Starkfield. Everyone in Ethan’s life suffers…

novel, Ethan Frome, Ethan let the force of the expectations that he, the world, and the community set on him control his life. He stayed silent and submissive in the times that changed his life for the worse because he felt pressured to remain quiet by the expectations and rules he had set for himself and by the watching community. In the novel Ethan Frome, by Edith Wharton, the themes of social and familial…

and be with their “love”. Over half of the time, this person ends up in prison, or they kill the one they love and then theirself. It is weird how love can drive people to do such crazy things. This ties into the two novels, The Crucible and Ethan Frome, they both show examples of how love can drive people to do crazy things. There are two different forms of crazy in these novels, in Salem, Abigail inflicts pain on others, whereas in Starkfield,…

between a passionate life or a vague excuse for one, Ethan Frome struggles to deal with his emotions. He ponders at the risk of losing his wife Zeena over his new love for Mattie and the desire for something greater in life. As he goes about each day the two sides are evidently affecting Ethan’s everyday life. Whether it be something as slight as light glimmering through a dark lonely room or a moment of weakness that plays with emotion, Ethan realizes what awaits him. As his time with Mattie…

In the essay Pierce uses numerous rhetorical devices and uses them at the right time to make the essay more effective with a condescending diction and a long and involved syntax, which also helped set the conversational tone and serious mood. This essay had numerous rhetorical devices throughout the essay, in fact there is a rhetorical device in the first line, “Once upon a time” (Pierce, Line 1), this is cliche as “Once upon a time” is very used and familiar phase and the reader knows that it…

An interesting problem in John Green’s Paper Towns is Man vs. the public. While Margo has disappeared Quentin tries to find her using various clues she has left behind. Before Margo disappears they both go and seek revenge on Margo’s “friends” that night is when Quentin thinks he has seen the “true” Margo. Quentin finds the reference paper towns. He finds out that paper towns can mean an undeveloped subdivision. He finds a subdivision in the area and finds clues that she has been there. He ends…

In her task of characterizing Zeena as selfish and shrewd wharton recounts Zeena and Ethan's marriage and how their plans for the future are ultimately forgotten. After his mother's death and subsequent marriage to Zeena they both agree to try and sell the farm and move to a big city. It sounds like a good plan except, not only has no one bought the farm, but Zeena will be impossible to move. “She chose to look down on starkfield, but she could not have lived in a place which looked down on…

Ethan Frome is a novel written by Edith Wharton in 1911. Ethan is caught between love and morality as he is married but is in love with another woman. He is being treated horribly by his wife Zeena, and sees her cousin and caretaker Mattie as his only chance at love. The broken pickle dish, the cat, and the sled all symbolize the war Ethan was facing between love and responsibility. The broken pickle dish represents the shattered state of Ethan and Zeena's marriage. The dish is their marriage,…