Ethan Frome does not abide by the typical societal norm. His face gives off something “bleak and unapproachable,” (Edith Wharton 1). Due to his stiff figure and the scar upon his face, he gives off the persona of a ruined man and as a result no person thought of approaching him. Despite being alienated from his peers, Ethan remains quite sensitive. Furthermore, Ethan’s life at home does not help. His wife Zeena controls him and wants everything to run her way. She falls ill and goes out of her way
Analysis of Ethan Frome The strife between monogamy and the lust for another is often the cause of a marriage ending before "death do us part." The challenges of infidelity in these situations often shape the individual enduring them in mostly negative ways. The novel Ethan Frome presents a main character facing an internal battle about responsibility versus his innate immoral nature, and the author exposes this extended metaphor as a struggle to warn that the conflict between moral standards and
In the novel Ethan Frome, the narrator (a young engineer) moves to a small town in New England named Starkfield in order to work on a project during the winter. He begins to become curious of a crippled man in his fifties named Ethan Frome after seeing him at a post office. After hearing about a sort of short summary of Frome’s life from his landlady, Mrs. Ned Hale and a resident of the town named Harmon Gow, the narrator soon becomes very interested in learning more about Frome and ends taking the
provide some answers in the book Ethan Frome (Wharton). To be an American is a concept of being the best one can be and always striving to be better. If one finds that their ethics, or design of life is in opposing directions in their head and/or heart it can lead to confusion. Being pulled apart in our drive to betterment by chasing what one wants for their health, wealth, or relationships can cause one to self destruct, as is the case of the main character, Ethan Frome, in his quest for the American
Termini/ English 11 Honors English 11 Summer Reading 1. The character I admire most is Ethan Frome because the author generally gave him kindhearted characteristics even with unfortunate circumstances. Ethan is a passive, unhappy man with a duty to stay faithful to his loveless marriage but found another that makes him happy. Even though the readers did not condone having desires for another woman while married, we understood his intentions. Ethan has such a strong moral sense that he wouldn’t allow his
In the novel Ethan Frome the overall themes are hopes,love,and plans. Ethan is caught in between loving his wife, who is very sick and who makes him angry or loving his wife’s caretaker and cousin, Mattie Silver. When Ethan’s father was sick and eventually died, his mother also became very ill and need someone to take care of her. Zeena answered the call and stayed on the farm until Ethan's mother passed. Ethan married Zeena because he was afraid of silence, just as his mother was. It was a marriage
Edith Wharton’s Ethan Frome, tells the story of two lovers that attempted to end their lives, but instead, their attempt resulted in gaining severe injuries. This novella starts with the narrator meeting Ethan From, who suffered from a medical condition, which resulted in his exclusion from society. As the novella’s plot develops, the narrator begins to understand the life of Ethan and how his medical condition came about. The story begins with the third person view of Ethan Frome after the narrator
The theme of Ethan Frome is that unloving marriage made hastily will lead towards unhappiness and possibly cause a smash up in one’s life. The novella shows this by including many scenes of the life Ethan Frome lives now that he is married after a whimsical thought, and what his hasty lifelong commitment has done to him. Edith Wharton takes the side of people making their marriages those of true love and planning them out to allow the solemn vows can be carried out lovingly to last forever. Edith
The Flaw of Frome Ethan Frome by Elizabeth Wharton is a short novel describing the life and downfall of Ethan Frome, as told by the man himself to an intrigued narrator spending the winter in Starkfield, Massachusetts. Ethan Frome, like many other protagonists, is burdened with a fatal flaw; This imperfection, his love for his wife’s caregiver and niece Mattie, leads to the loss of his wife and a tragic accident leaving him scarred and lame. We are introduced to Frome as the narrator spots him at
Edith Wharton’s novel, Ethan Frome, takes place in Starkfield, Massachusetts during the winter season sometime around the turn of the twentieth century. By using flashback, first-person narrative and limited third-person narrative, Wharton tells the tale of an unfortunate man, Ethan Frome, whose world takes an ironic turn that traps him into a life of misery. The story describes Ethan’s life as it was twenty-four years prior and the ill-fated circumstances that resulted in the broken man he had