Essa 10th Honors English Mr McCullough Frederikke Siggaard February 5, 2024 Edith Wharton's Themes and Motives Edith Wharton explores the complexities of human relationships and the constraints of societal expectations in works including Ethan Frome and Roman Fever. In these stories, Warton delves into the themes of societal norms, forbidden desires, and the weight of repressed emotions. She uses her concerns about the limitations imposed by society on individuals, especially women during the late 19th century to the early 20th century to shed light on how they were treated. Her use of metaphors in both stories makes us read between the lines to get the full picture. She delves into the intricacies of societal expectations, forbidden desires, and …show more content…
This not only causes a fake relationship, but makes their view one-sided with each other. With this, Edith Wharton proves that people are afraid of how others perceive them, which causes them to hide who they are like Ainsley and Alida. Another common theme in Edith Wharton's writing is forbidden desires. One major example is when Ethan loves Mattie while married to Zeena, this can be seen in this quotation “It pleased Ethan to have surprised a pair of lovers on the spot where he and Mattie had stood with such a thirst for each other in their hearts, but he felt a pang at the thought that these two need not hide their happiness.” Ethan is in love with Mattie and explains how she makes him happy, But instead, he has to keep his love a secret, comparing himself to the other people in town who can show openly. With all this in mind, Ethan and Mattie could have just run away together, but they didn't due to the societal expectations placed upon them. This can be seen when Ethan thinks "He knew a case of a man over the mountain-a young fellow of about his own age-who had escaped from just such a life of misery