1911 in literature

Rationale As part of our English A Language and Literature syllabus, we studied Ethan Frome under Part 4 (Literature) of the syllabus. My primary source is a novella called Ethan Frome (1911) by Edith Wharton. I have chosen to re-write the prologue of Ethan Frome because it will be aimed at better understanding for students. My primary target audience will be the students of my age who study Ethan Frome. The features of the rationale that I have incorporated are providing information about the setting

Section I: Theme Desire vs. Morality and Duty: Throughout the novel, Ethan seems to struggle with managing his desire for Mattie and his duty as a husband. This theme is apparent throughout the entirety of the novella. It starts before the book even begins. Ethan, in the first chapter, admits to often walking Mattie, his wife’s cousin, home just to spend few minutes alone with her. However it is first mentioned in the book when Ethan is standing alone, just watching Mattie dance. He knows he has

In Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton, Mattie Silver portrays a warm, youthful character - the opposite personality of all other characters. Her quirky personality does not rub off on Ethan; however, Ethan's deathly personality does rub off on Mattie. Mattie Silver's presence brings forth warmth into the frozen Starkfield and delight into Ethan Frome's life. Mattie Silver is frequently associated with the color red - the color of love, leadership, and passion. She bears a “cherry scarf” (19) wrapped around

Often times, when people are hurt and taken advantage of themselves, they in turn take advantage of others. This is true of the character Ethan Frome in the novel of the same name by Edith Wharton. Zeena takes advantage of Ethan, so Ethan takes advantage of Mattie. Mattie is the true victim in the novel because she is young and impressionable, which Ethan uses to manipulate her. She has pure intentions, but ultimately ends up living a miserable life mainly to the fault of Ethan. To begin with, Ethan

The fates of the characters in Ethan Frome are very cruel, despite the fact that everything that happened was because of their own deeds. Zeena’s hiding her illnesses while nursing Mrs. Frome ultimately led to Ethan’s sadness with their marriage. Ethan’s grief caused him to fall in love with Mattie. Zeena’s excitement to get Mattie away from her cheating husband led him to attempt suicide with the girl he loved. Though they caused their own downfall, Mattie, Zeena, and Ethan did not deserve their

Ethan Frome is a complex romantic novel written by Edith Wharton that tells the story of a man by the name of (you guessed it), Ethan Frome and the complex triangle relationship between himself, his wife Zeena, and his Wife’s aid/relative, Mattie Silver. While, Zeena is indeed his wife, Ethan personally describes her as a generally ugly person in terms of physical characteristics and personality. On the other hand, Ethan describes and sees Mattie as a sexy and appealing woman in her youth. This

Suicide is a great tragedy which takes many innocent lives everyday. Often times, authors incorporate suicide within their literature because it is such a great tragedy. In the novella Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton, an attempted suicide is the tragic ending which leaves two characters crippled. In the novella, Ethan Frome is married to a sickly woman named Zeena. He and her cousin, Mattie Silver, care for Zeena. Ethan and Mattie fall in love but are prevented from being together because Zeena attempts

In the novel, Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton the recurring theme of the classic war between passion and responsibility is advertised. In 1885 Edith married Edward Robbins Wharton. She was 23. Edward was from a good family and was of the same social class as Edith, but he was 12 years older than she was. Ethan Frome struggles to make a living as a farmer while his wife Zeena whines and complains about her imaginary sickness. When Zeena's destitute cousin, Mattie Silver comes to live with the Ethan

In his article “The Two Faces of Mattie Silver,” Gary Scharnhorst claims that Mattie Silver is not in love with Ethan Frome, as surface-level reading may indicate, but rather “a scheming temptress” who manipulates Ethan into causing his own destruction. Sharnhorst adresses the idea that the takeaway from Ethan Frome may be “a tale doomed or tragic love;” however, he insists that, when read through a critical lense, there is sufficient evidence to consider Mattie “a conniving minx.” Scharnhorst uses

prompted him to seek a relationship with Mattie. Her manipulative and lassitude state has kept Ethan bound and unhappy until the arrival of young Mattie. The reader notices a change in Ethan as he contemplates leaving Starkfield with Mattie, but his guilt stops this thought. Zeena can be described as a vitriolic character because she is self-centered and continually throughout the story inveighs Ethan and Mattie on all their actions and faults. His thoughts revealed that “even if he had the heart