Edith Wharton Essay

held very high standards, but Edith Wharton was not your average wealthy woman. She stood out as being a women 's rights activist, and always wanted to push the boundaries of society 's standards by reading and writing even from a very young age. Edith Wharton 's cynical view of marriage and society are reflected in her characters emotions and actions in her short stories because of the injustices she faced with her mother and standards of women at the time. Edith Wharton was born into a wealthy family

The story starts with the Narrator, an engineer, who is temporarily staying at the Hale house in Starkfield, Massachusetts due to a project in a nearby town. Dealing with a delay in his work, the Narrator decides to observe the citizens of Starkfield. He notices Ethan Frome at the post office and wonders why a man with immense strength seems so physically and mentally crippled. He decides to investigate and finds out that Ethan was a victim of a “smash-up”. The Narrator had been using Denis Eady

In the book “Ethan Frome” many very important themes appear. These themes include: silence, isolation, and consequences. The most important and the one that appears the most in the book is consequences. The author presents these themes in ways to help the reader learn more in depth about the characters and the author. While also learning lessons about real life situations. The book is set mostly around the theme of responsibility vs. consequences. Not only does the book teach the reader about how

Archer tries to talk May out of the long engagement but May responds: “If you call it long! Isabel Chivers and Reggie were engaged for two years: Grace and Thorley for nearly a year and a half” (Wharton, 67) It is clear to see here that May simply is content with following with what society does. Without voicing her own opinion on the matter, May goes directly to support her mother’s idea in obedience and through the examples of others. She hastens

Character Sketch of Ethan Frome “Guess he’s been in Starkfield too many winters. Most of the smart ones get away” (6). That, said by Harmon Gow, was definitely how Ethan Frome could be described. Too many winters in Starkfield had taken its toll on Ethan, and it was obvious to see. Ethan, “the ruin of a man” (3), just hadn’t gotten out of Starkfield in time. Now, as the narrator related, “There was something bleak and unapproachable in his face; and he was so stiffened and grizzled I took

in this novella, Ethan, Zeena, and Mattie, provide conflict and help drive the plot forward. Their thoughts and actions keep the reader entertained and guessing. For example, the plot filled with suspense as Mattie broke Zeena’s most prized dish (Wharton 32). In addition, these characters demonstrate many different traits and undergo changes throughout the novella. Ethan’s personality is altered from falling in love with Mattie. Also, both Mattie and Zeena

In the final chapters, Ethan and Mattie enter the Frome household. Wharton describes that the living room has "the deadly chill of a vault after the dry cold of the night." This quote represents the deathly sled run they are about to experience. Ethan and Mattie pursued their love life to the point of death due to desperation

The Inuits live in really harsh conditions in the Arctic. They have lived there for a really long time. They live in a place called Nunavut. They are brave to live there. They are not able to make wooden homes, because of their climate region, so they make snow houses called “Igloos”. In the summer, when the snow melts, they cannot make igloos. They live in tent like huts made of animal skins. Inuit communities are found in the: Northwest Territories, Labrador, and Quebec. They do not have cars

Ethan’s desire to become an engineer ceases when he abandons his studies at Worcester in order to take care of his family. “Somebody had to stay and care for the folks. There warn’t ever anybody but Ethan” (11). Ethan feels that he can not abandon anyone who seems to be in pain, but this ends up hurting himself and the people that he cares about. Ethan Frome’s loyalty eventually starts to interferes with all of his hopes and dreams that he has for himself. Ethan’s passionate longing to run away

Both Ethan Frome and The Glass Menagerie contain unreliable narrators, highlighting the fragility of truth and how human perception shapes reality. The entire story of Ethan Frome is told by a man who was not present for the events, and only pieced together his story based on several interactions that he had with the residents of Starkfield. Throughout the novel, there are even ellipses to denote gaps in his knowledge of the events. This showcases how fleeting memory is, and how mere existence has