Frome Essay

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

The novel Ethan Frome is about the Frome inhabitants living in the small society of Starkfield, Massachusetts. Ethan Frome, whom the book is named after, is trapped in a loveless marriage with Zeena, a sickly older woman. He wishes to be with Mattie, the younger, vivacious niece of Zeena who has been staying with the Fromes to help around their house. Because the death of Mattie’s parents left her penniless and homeless, her extended family saw the opportunity of sending her off to the Frome’s as

Symbolic weather and characters of Ethan Frome The characters and weather, in the novel Ethan Frome, influence the action of the novel in many ways. Some of the characters that heavily influence the novel are the main characters, Ethan Frome, Mattie Silver, and Zeena Frome. The weather is used in the novel to set the tone, alter the mood and foreshadow events that may happen. Zeena is one of those characters. Whenever the name Zeena is mentioned it brings sour thoughts to the readers head. Throughout

Do we make our own fate, or is it predetermined? Do our actions matter, or are we simply following a track? In the book, Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton, the main character's life is a continuous series of tragic events. Is this his own fault, or has his fate always been set towards pain? In this essay I will be explaining why Ethan's troubles are his own, why his actions caused his fate. Ethan, the main character, continuously fails to express himself, no matter how strongly he desires to. “He took

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

Individuals willingly or forcefully become separated from communities. This is called isolation. Isolation can have drastic consequences on an individual. Physical and social isolation can only affect an individual negatively. Ethan Frome conveys the story of a static farmer who is married to a woman he doesn't love called Zeena. Ethan is forced to pay and take care of Zeena because she is suffering fatal illnesses; however, they rarely speak or act with love towards each other. When Zeena’s

Essentially, there are many different ways to entitle oneself to a new beginning. In Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton, the title character tries to establish a new beginning by trying to elope. Usually, one must remain on the path fate has put them on, but the melancholic Ethan Frome is forced to abide by destiny, doomed to stay with his wife, Zeena, even though he wishes to change his fate by continuing life with his wife's cousin, Mattie. Bound by oath to stay with his wife, Ethan comes to be even

Ethan Frome The novel Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton tells the story of Ethan Frome and the tragedy he faces in his life. The story mainly focuses on the relationships between and among Ethan, his wife, and his wife’s cousin, with whom he is in love. Wharton uses different literary devices to develop the plot, including irony as one of the most effective. The use of irony in the novel, especially in the climatic sledding scene, greatly adds to the development of the tragedy. The sled ride

Ethan Frome as Fairy Tale   Edith Wharton's Ethan Frome is vividly real to its readers, its issues continually relevant to society, but through its structure and moral lessons, it is intended to be read as a 'fairy tale'. Elizabeth Ammons discusses this 'fairy tale' in her article "Ethan Frome as a Fairy Tale," explaining that the novel is a "vision" of the narrator's. As evidenced by the introductory chapter, the narrator truly has few clues as to the real story of Ethan Frome, and these

setting in Ethan Frome to help bring out characterization and theme by the isolated life of Ethan Frome and the village in New England as well as the winter landscape surrounded by trees. Ethan Frome is located in Starkfield, Massachusetts, a place where not too many people live. In the beginning of the novel, the narrator walks into Starkfield’s post office. The narrator said that if you knew Starkfield than you knew the post office. Ironically, the first time the narrator saw Ethan Frome, was at the