Analysis of Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton
Ethan Frome is a story of ill-fated love, set during the winter in the rural New England town of Starkfield. Ethan is a farmer who is married to a sickly woman named Zeena. The two live in trapped, unspoken resentment on Ethan's isolated and failing farm. Ethan has been caring for his wife for six years now. Due to Zeena's numerous complications they employ her cousin to help in the house, the animated Mattie Silver. With Mattie's youthful presence in the house, Ethan is awoken of the bitterness of his youth's lost opportunities, and a dissatisfaction with his life and empty marriage. Ethan and Mattie in turn, fall in love. However, they never follow their love due to Ethan's morals and the respect he has for his marriage to Zeena. Ethan eagerly awaits the nights when he is able to walk Mattie home from the town dances. He cherishes the ground she walks on. After a visit to the doctor, Zeena is told that she needs more sufficient hired help. Thus, she decides to send her incompetent cousin away and hire a new one. Ethan and Mattie are desperate to stay together. However, Ethan's lack of financial means and Zeena's health are factors that will never allow him to leave Starkfield. Unable to find any solutions to this p
Many critics also disliked the book. People said that it was too pessimistic to be recommended to the general reader. A critic in The Bookman could not forgive Wharton for her cruelty toward both her characters and her readers. In conclusion, I feel that Ethan Frome should be included in a list of works of high literary merit, because it is a classic. The book is about society in general and this attracts many readers. I think that the magnificence of Ethan himself attracts many readers. His character was so carefully thought out. Although Ethan Frome was not a commercial success when it was first written, many critics praised the novel. He lacks the strength to shake himself loose before it's too late. The author is able to clearly portray the themes of isolation and loneliness through the characters and the setting. The novel shows how one will not follow their heart due to what society may think. It shows how much society's beliefs in the 1900's were valued. Despite low sales when this book first became published and unfavorable remarks about Ethan Frome, the novel is still read and loved by many people, in many countries and languages, today. Edith Wharton uses characters such as Mattie, to express the theme of loneliness and isolation. Mattie Silver is unlike any of the other characters in Ethan Frome. The town of Starkfield is very colorless and dull. When Mattie enters she is wearing bright clothing and ribbons tied in her hair. From her first appearance, the reader becomes aware that Mattie is very different
Some common words found in the essay are:
Ethan Frome, Starkfield People, Edith Wharton, Ethan Mattie, Mattie Ethan's, Zeena Ethan, Zeena Mattie, Starkfield Ethan, Silver Mattie's, Zeena Ethan's, ethan frome, town starkfield, ethan mattie, edith wharton, ethan's wife, loneliness isolation, mattie silver, attracts readers,
Approximate Word count = 1051
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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