Economic Conflict In Wharton's Ethan Frome

Jean Cocteau once said, “true Realism consists in revealing the surprising things which habit keeps covered and prevents us from seeing.” In 19th century France a movement developed with the main objective of representing reality by depicting real-life events and conflicts in a Naturalistic matter. French painter Gustave Courbet named this movement Realism. In literature, Realism represents real-life events and conflicts; detailed Realism shapes human characters through Naturalism. Throughout the Realism period, writers used gender roles, economic struggle, and the effect of the environment to develop human characters within their stories.

Throughout the Realism period, authors used the conflict of gender roles in their writing. There “were

Economics “is a science which studies human behavior as a relationship between ends and scarce means which have alternative uses” (Robbins 1). The authors used the economic conflict to show how in times of desperation for money, people make bad decisions with life-long consequences. Throughout the story of Ethan Frome, Wharton embraces Ethan’s financial insecurity for a demonstration of the tension between Ethan and Zeena and their relationship. Ethan exclaims “‘Did the doctor tell you how I was to pay her wages?’ Her voice rose furiously with his. ‘No, he didn’t. For I’d ‘a’ been ashamed to tell him that you grudged me the money to get back my health, when I lost it nursing your own mother!” (Wharton 7). Zeena and Ethan’s relationship suffered due to financial problems the couple faced. Zeena and Ethan finally accepted their financial situation and that they did not have enough money to continue providing for Mattie and pay a hired girl their relationship finds its ultimate demise. Furthermore, in The Outcasts of Poker Flats, the main characters; John Oakhurst, the Duchess, Mother Shipton, and Uncle Billy, all had “improper” ways of living life, including gambling, prostitution, and stealing. Due to the ways these characters chose to make money, the people of their town exiled them (Harte 1-6). Harte uses the conflict of economic struggle in his story. These characters felt desperate and fell into economic struggle, so they made bad decisions that caused life-long consequences. Economic struggle and conflict can also cause life-long consequences due to frustration. Additionally, in Miniver Cheevy, Miniver “scorned the gold he sought,/But sore annoyed was he without it;/Miniver thought, and thought, and thought,/And thought about it/Miniver Cheevy, born too late,/Scratched his head and kept on thinking;/Miniver coughed, and called it fate,/And kept on drinking” (Robinson 3). Throughout Miniver