ipl-logo

Ethan Frome: A Personal Tragedy

550 Words3 Pages

In Edith Wharton's famous book Ethan Frome, main character, Ethan Frome’s story is a personal tragedy. His own decisions he makes are his own fault. But what is his tragedy? Well, to a certain understanding, his tragedy is that in the present day, he is always dreary and not as happy as he could have turned out; in other words, one could say that his tragedy is that he is unsuccessful in happiness. Although one may argue that the tragedy wasn’t all Ethans fault, and that the weather of new england caused it, that certainly isn’t true. Ethan’s bad choices of leaving school, feeling lonely and marrying Zeena and then also being avoidant when he wants to leave her. Obviously, Ethan Frome’s tragedy is all caused by his personal decisions. One of many ignorant choices Ethan makes is when his mother gets ill, somewhere in the beginning of the story. During this time, Ethan dropped out of college. It’s …show more content…

In the story, the setting is in Starkfield, Massachusetts in the winter. Yes, the winter is usually metaphorically thought as depressing, sad and lonely, but Ethan has been around the winter of New England for a while, so he should be able to look past the stereotypical ideas, he could look at the better parts of winter as in the beautiful surroundings, and spending holidays with family. Unfortunately, Ethan cannot. He sees everything as dull and gloomy. The weather doesn’t take responsibility for his tragedy, but it also doesn’t help the situation. Although some people who read the novella feel bad for Ethan Frome because he turned out unsuccessful, nobody should. The reason Ethan turned out unhappy, like the way he did, was all his fault by his own choices. Since the beginning he made the understandably not-so-great choice of leaving college, every single decision after that was all his fault. Ethan Frome's tragedy was completely caused by his own

Show More
Related

  • Theme Of Isolation In Ethan Frome

    116 Words  | 1 Pages

    Ethan Frome, who has to face multiple conflicts throughout the book with his nonstop dream to be an engineer which is crushed due to the illness of, Zeena, his cousin, but who also happens to be his wife. Also a love begins to grow mid way through the book between a girl named Mattie and Ethan, even though he is still married to Zeena which ultimately leads to the distance between their love. In the book Ethan Frome, the feeling of isolation in Ethan and Zeena becomes more prominent, while anger grows between Ethan and Mattie from having denying their love, which contributes to the many mistakes and downfalls Ethan has to face throughout the book.

    Read More

  • Symbolism And Literary Techniques In Ethan Frome By Edith Wharton

    672 Words  | 3 Pages

    Then, when it comes to the big “smash up”, Ethan gets hurt pretty badly which symbolizes the almost irreversible consequence of him trying to escape his own sour circumstances. After the accident, the sled gets broken which is quite important because it shows Ethan’s dreams shattering right in front of him. Generally, the symbolism in Ethan Frome resonates throughout the entire novel, amplifying the themes of loneliness, regret, and mighty power of shattered desires. Wharton employs an incredibly unique narrative technique to enhance the tragic aspect of Ethan Frome’s lifestyle.

    Read More

  • Imagery And Symbolism In Ethan Frome By Edith Wharton

    802 Words  | 4 Pages

    A few things that stand out the most throughout the novel are winter, the missing ‘L’, and the elm tree, and these are the three symbols used by Edith Wharton in her novel Ethan Frome to describe Ethan’s characteristics. First and foremost, winter in Starkfield, Massachusetts, is a symbol for Ethan’s loneliness and confinement. In the eyes of the narrator, Starkfield winters were bad enough to make life miserable. In Ethan’s case, his unhappiness

    Read More

  • The Importance Of Irrational Decisions In Ethan Frome

    836 Words  | 4 Pages

    Throughout the novel “Ethan Frome”, many of the characters made irrational decisions. Quite a few of which impacted their daily life, for example Ethan’s decision to marry Zeena. Once Mattie moved into their home to carry out the housework Zeena was unable to complete due to her debilitating illness, Ethan developed feelings for her which only led to more chaos in their household. Their love blossomed into a greater intimacy than Ethan and Zeena’s marriage ever was. Not thinking logically, they pursued each other in the same house as Ethan’s wife.

    Read More

  • Ethan Frome Character Analysis Essay

    552 Words  | 3 Pages

    Edith Wharton's book Ethan Frome is the tale of a man, his wife and the woman he falls in love with. Ethan marries Zeena but falls in love with Mattie who is the opposite of his wife in every way. Where Zeena is sedentary and a sickly woman, Mattie is exciting and lively. In an ironic turn of events the woman he falls in love with transforms into a mirror image of his wife. Ethan married Zeena, out of fear of being alone for the rest of his life and suffers an unhappy and loveless marriage because of it.

    Read More

  • What Is The Cause Of Change In Edith Wharton's Ethan Frome

    1043 Words  | 5 Pages

    From great risk, some fortunate few are able to reap the benefits. The title character of Edith Wharton’s “Ethan Frome” often toys with this notion but reaches an inability to act. With nothing risked there is nothing gained, effectively preventing his life from moving forward or backwards. Furthermore, risk does not always yield change, as sometimes the change is the risk, a deviation from the normality of one’s life. Ethan’s inability to take risks keeps his life stagnant, immune to change like a decomposed corps in a grave.

    Read More

  • Ethan Frome Characterization

    530 Words  | 3 Pages

    Ethan Frome, a book written by Edith Wharton, gives us clear images of the characters that have been introduced. While reading the book, the characters would open up and display their inner thoughts and emotions. The characters’ personalities and physical appearances greatly resemble the rugged yet mellow landscape of New England and this is what pulls the whole story together. The protagonist, Ethan Frome, has kept the same inner state throughout the book.

    Read More

  • The Pickle Dish Symbolism In Ethan Frome By Edith Wharton

    1006 Words  | 5 Pages

    Melissa Palacios English 3A Feb. 21 2017 The novel Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton is about a tragic hero, Ethan who is not in love with his wife, but another person named Mattie. An important symbol in this novel is a pickle dish. This dish symbolizes Ethan’s relationship with his wife. The pickle dish first appears in chapter 4 of the novel.

    Read More

  • Ethan Frome Quotes

    984 Words  | 4 Pages

    “Is fate getting what you deserve, or deserving what you get?” (Jodi Picoult). Ethan Frome, written by Edith Wharton in 1911, embodies this quote. In Ethan Frome, all three main characters, Ethan, Mattie and Zeena have made decisions that will affect the rest of their lives. Ethan and Mattie had an inappropriate relationship behind Ethans significant other, Zeena 's, back which caused each of them to be emotionally distraught.

    Read More

  • The Darkest Of Snow In Edith Wharton's Ethan Frome

    819 Words  | 4 Pages

    Snow falls for the long, imprisoning months of winter. In Ethan Frome, Edith Wharton utilizes snow as a facade to not only cover darkness but also reveal the reality underneath. Zeena and Ethan’s loveless marriage hides within their home, just as white, soft snow piles and weighs down on the ground. Continually, Wharton describes Zeena as displeasing to the

    Read More

  • Ethan Frome Literary Analysis

    738 Words  | 3 Pages

    Both Zeena and Ethan have varying responses, however both showing some commitment to repair their union. In Ethan Frome, Edith Wharton utilizes a broken pickle dish, to represent the views of espousement, and the representation of their varied human actions. Ethan and Zeena Frome’s marriage represents a union based on obligation rather that love. Throughout the story, Ethan is a weak and submissive husband under the control of a domineering wife.

    Read More

  • Conflicts In Ethan Frome By Edith Wharton

    839 Words  | 4 Pages

    Ethan chooses his duty to Zeena over his dream with mattie he would receive when proposed with the option of moving to the West, he decides against it because of what he owes to Zeena. He doesn 't knows if she would not be able to support herself and that clouded future is why he doesn 't agreed to leave. Again, Ethan chooses between duty to Zeena and seeking his personal dream when he and Mattie were going to take their lives so they would not have to live without each other. Throughout his time with Zeena, he was forced to choose between duty to his family and his dreams. He could have left and continued his dream of being an engineer but instead he married her do to a sense of payment for what she had done for his mother.

    Read More

  • The Theme Of Love In Edith Wharton's Ethan Frome

    763 Words  | 4 Pages

    The nature of the Frome’s marriage was made transparent when Ethan fell in love with another woman. When the novel begins, Frome demonstrates his cowardice when confesses that he

    Read More

  • The Importance Of Setting In Wharton's Ethan Frome

    753 Words  | 4 Pages

    In Edith Wharton’s novel, Ethan Frome, setting plays an important role. The novel takes place in the fictional town of Starkfield, Massachusetts, in the winter and most likely during the early 1900s, a time better known as the Progressive Era. The Progressive Era brought about change and innovation in many areas, such as education and transportation. This change doesn’t really occur in Starkfield, however. Due to poor transportation, the residents of Starkfield become stuck during the harsh winter, and the majority of the rest of the year in this isolated town.

    Read More

  • Theme Of Naturalism In Ethan Frome

    734 Words  | 3 Pages

    This shows Ethan is having a very rough life because of natural forces. Later in the story, Ethan and Mattie find themselves alone again. They were going to go coasting, but it was too dark. In chapter 5 Ethan states: “No, I didn’t forget; but it’s as dark as Egypt outdoors.

    Read More

More about Ethan Frome: A Personal Tragedy

Open Document