Ethan Frome

A detailed Summary of Ethan Frome

Ethan Frome (main character of Ethan Frome) was a man who lived in his own world of silence. Ethan also lived in the small, dark town of Starkfield, Massachusetts. He was the "most striking figure" in his town yet he was but "the ruin of a man". By many people Ethan was mistaken for an old man though he was "not more than fifty-two. This narration is a far cry from the character of Newland Archer (main character in The Age of Innocence). Newland was a dashing young man who was part of New York's finest society. Though only thirty years old he "read more, thought more, and even seen a good deal more of the world than any other man of his Fifth Avenue set". However these two diametric characters can be compared with one another. Due to certain circumstances, the deviousness of their wives, and being tragic characters both men were unable to be with the women their hearts truly yearned for. Ethan Frome had lost his father to a horrendous accident. Soon after this ordeal Ethan's mother became ill. He was now left alone to carry the burden of the families' farm and mill. But there was a hope for Ethan- Zeena. Zeena was able to help Ethan take care of his ill mother. She "seemed to understand his case at a glance". Zeena would

tell him to "go right out along" while she took care of things. This gave Ethan a restored sense of being and "magnified his sense of what he owed her". After Ethan's mother passed away he felt a sudden sense of loneliness; soon he asked Zeena to stay with him. Once they were married Ethan would sell the farm and become an engineer. He reasoned that with a "smart wife like Zeena, it would not be long before he had made himself a place in it". But this idea would soon come to a crashing halt. Ethan realized that Zeena knew so much about medicine because of her own symptoms. Zeena was now . . . "ugly and sickly cold like the winter". The only time she spoke was when she whined or complained about ailments that did not even exist. As the novel progressed Zeena's cousin Mattie, came to live in the Frome household. Mattie was "young, happy, healthy and beautiful like the summer"." With Mattie, Ethan felt alive once again. Ethan would imagine how blissful life would be if Zeena were dead and he was married to Mattie. Though due to circumstances Ethan would not be able to be with Mattie. As Ethan was writing his goodbye letter to his wife he came across two problems. In his letter Ethan wrote-"Zeena I've done all I could for you, and I don't see as it's been any use . . . I'm going to try my luck West, and you can sell the farm and mill, and keep the money". He soon realized if he gave the farm to Zeena "what would be left him to start his own life with"? And even if he picked up work in the West how could he support Mattie? Also, Ethan figured how much could Zeena receive from selling the farm? And in the meantime how could she alone take care of the farm and mill herself? So Ethan realized that he could not do anything about it. Thus, due to certain circumstances Ethan could not be with the woman he loved. This is similar to the circumstances of Newland Archer. Newland Archer was married to May Welland. May was one of the most prominent women of the high-class society in New York. But Newland did not love her. Newland had the desire for Countess Olenska. The Countess was the cousin of May who just came back from a troublesome marriage overseas. To Archer, Olenska was the "complete vision of all that he missed" in life. Throughout the movie Archer realized that his love was meant for the Countess. However their love could never be. The society Archer lived in was one of conformity (which he was swept into). Though they were in America, the society was just as England was during the Victorian period. For example, during a dinner party Newland had to put on white gloves before entering the ballroom. This clearly showed the conformity and sterility of the society. Also, Newland (being a lawyer) w

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Approximate Word count = 1826
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English