Ethan Frome Essay

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Plot Summary and Reflection

Ethan Frome was a story of a man who actively and willingly had feelings for his wife’s cousin, Mattie. Ethan’s wife, Zeena, was in declining health so to receive assistance for housework she had called upon Mattie for help. Throughout the story, Zeena knew little of the relationship between Mattie and Ethan. As the story is being told, it reveals that Ethan goes out of his way to spend time with Mattie. When he picks her up from town, he would deliberately take the longer route in order to be able to spend more time with her. As the story progresses, Ethan is starting to get more curious as to Mattie’s feelings towards him. One night, when he was supposed to pick Mattie up from church, he decides to evade and to observe Mattie after he sees her dance with a wealthy boy. Ethan was relieved when the wealthy boy had offered Mattie a ride home and she had politely declined. Ethan felt that this was going the right way for him, so he had decided to make his move soon. Zeena’s sickness had gotten worse so she had decided to find a new doctor in another town and as a result, she was leaving for a night. Ethan felt that this was the perfect time to make his move because this was one of the rare moments that he and Mattie would spend together. Mattie at this point had too showed interest in Ethan, so much so that she had disobeyed Zeena. As she set up dinner, she had used Zeena’s special pickle dish which had broken. Zeena returns home to find this out and tells Ethan Mattie is no longer needed because there will be a new housekeeper. Ethan shows his disagreement in a temper and goes into his room to being writing his letter. He had decided to run away Mattie as her expulsion was inevitable at this point, in the end he decides he cannot do it because of his lack of money to start over. After giving in, Ethan decides he would be the one to bring Mattie to the train station for her departure. Ethan uses his last moments with Mattie to bring her to all the places they have

Essay On Ethan Frome

Ethan Frome a main character in this tragic book, makes both right and wrong choices but the wrong choices end up being the ones that will change his life forever. Sometimes when some one is torn, they end up making the wrong choices. “how ever, the post master would hand him and envelope addressed to ms. Zenopia or ms zenna frome”(4). Zeena is a hypochondriac, Ethan should have just came out plane and simple and said stop over hyping your fine. Maybe in doing so she might come to reality…

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Ethan Frome Essay

Ethan Frome is the tragedy of a married couple, the husband's mistress, and how their disposition and traits prevent them from finding happiness. In Wharton's Ethan Frome, Ethan, Zeena, and Mattie become victims of their own personality traits, which are: emotional weakness, self-absorption, lack of communication and affection, and immaturity . The characters are discontent with their lives but are helpless and ignorant; they do not realize that their own dispositions bring about problems and hurt…

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Ethan Frome Naturalism

The Lasting Imprint of Naturalism and Realism on a Century’s Canvas The climax of Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton conveyed a very dramatic and tragic: “The sled swerved in response, but he righted it again, kept it straight, and drove down on the black projecting mass. There was a last instant when the air shot past him like millions of fiery wires; and then the elm.” (Wharton Chapter 9). The event of Mattie and Ethan purposely running into the elm tree occurred in this work because they both wanted…

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ethan frome essay

Cheyenne Pierre Mrs. Rossi ENG1D1 Wednesday, December 3rd, 2014 Title In the novella “Ethan Frome” by Edith Wharton, Mattie Silver and Zeena Frome show their different personality traits that are easily compared by the readers of the novella. Even though they seem very different, Zeena and Mattie have many things in common. Zeena and Mattie are also very opposite people based on looks and personality. Near the end of the novella Mattie transforms…

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Ethan Frome Essay

Ethan Frome Theme Dissection The author focuses on many big themes throughout the novel Ethan Frome. He goes into great detail for each characters special theme. Some characters are isolated others are determined. Each theme has a consequence for the characters, some consequences are life changing others are small changes to the life that are not very noticeable. The three major characters in the novel that are affected are Zeena, Ethan Frome, and Mattie. Zeena Frome is Ethan's wife who has…

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Ethan Frome Analysis

profound impact on individuals. In "Ethan Frome," financial constraints shackle the protagonist to a life he despises, while in "Miniver Cheevy," the desire for wealth is juxtaposed with disdain for it. Sinclair's portrayal of greedy businessmen sacrificing health for profit in "The Jungle" resonates deeply in a time marked by widespread poverty and financial insecurity. Moreover, each work grapples with physical limitations experienced by the characters. Whether it's Ethan Frome's disabilities following…

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Ethan Frome Setting Analysis

The novel Ethan Frome is written by Edith Wharton. In Ethan Frome, the narrator, is an engineer living in Starkfield, Massachusetts, seeks travel help of a somewhat mysterious man in the community named Ethan Frome. One winter night, Ethan invites the narrator into his home to get out of the terrible weather. This is where the narrator receives the full story of Ethan’s life. When Ethan was younger, he took care of his sick parents until they passed. After they died, he married his wife, Zeena, who…

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Ethan Frome Essay

In the novella, Ethan Frome, by Edith Wharton the environment and surroundings play a huge role in the story and also have major effects on the main character, Ethan Frome. The story takes place in Starkfield, Massachusetts, part of New England, where the climate in the winter can be quite gruesome. The weather even has an effect on the people. In Starkfield the weather and the people seem to be cold, sluggish and quiet this time of year, especially Ethan Frome. He is a man who has not even lived…

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Ethan Frome Theme Essay

The short novel Ethan Frome is set in a small town called Starkville; if you were to blink, you’d miss it. The author, Edith Wharton, was raised in New York, born in 1862 into a distinguished family (Edith Wharton, 1). She writes about a poor man named Ethan and his struggles with his passion for his wife Zeena’s cousin, Mattie Silver, who lives with them and helps around the house. His constant battle between his passion for Mittie Silver and his responsibility of taking care of his feeble and sickly…

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Essay on Ethan Frome

Love? Many love but many hate. The setting in Ethan Frome affects the narrative of the story. Edith Wharton in Ethan Frome has the mood of being happy and angry, it affects the character Zeena, which makes love become the irony of the story. The setting that is put throughout the story of Ethan Frome is the season of winter that makes the mood become sad and angry. Zeena is always angry throughout the story. Throughout the story Zeena is angry because she knows that the only person she has is…

Words 998 - Pages 4