Sigmund Freud believed that one's actions revealed an insight into the unconscious. The actions an individual do can aid in the discovery of not only mental disorders, but events in one's life that have led to their disorders. Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton is an example of just that. Edith Wharton, who was never declared insane, can be assessed for mental disorders and proven through hypo/adultery.
Edith decided to create this book as more of an autobiography of her life with Ethan symbolising Edith. During Edith Wharton’s life she had a dysfunctional marriage with her husband Teddy, “From the start, Teddy had never quite been able to find a role for himself, and here the inequality of their positions became even more pronounced.”(nypl.org).
