Problems Faced In Ethan Frome And The Awakening

The problems that both Ethan Frome and Mrs. Pontellier faced in Ethan Frome and The Awakening, respectively, were due in part to personal problems facing them. Ethan Frome was starstruck by Mattie, the cousin of his wife, Zenobia. Years of dissatisfaction and an ever-growing rift in their relationship opened the door for Ethan to finally find happiness with Mattie, but this new happiness was coupled with unhappiness and drama from Zenobia. Edna Pontellier also suffered the same problem that Ethan underwent. Mrs. Pontellier, confused about her current relationship with Mr. Pontellier and how he was gone all the time, decided to find pleasure in other men, notably Robert and Alcee Arobin. This quest for love involving both protagonists shows

Ethan had to balance his budding relationship with Mattie with taking care of sickly Zenobia. He felt obligated to care for Zenobia because they had developed trust between each other the past seven years. As a result, Ethan decided not to leave Zenobia and run away with Mattie. Doing so, in his mind, would leave Zenobia alone and sick with no one to care for her. Although he would have given her the deed to the farm, the money she would get from liquidating the poor farm would not be nearly enough to support the next phase of her life, whether it be moving away or finding a new job in the surrounding area. As a result, Ethan to stay with Zenobia. Ethan suffered, as marriage counselor Steve Pavlina would say, a “growth fork.” These are events in one’s life where a person has one of two options that can alter the rest of their lives. This includes relationships. In Ethan’s case, he had the choice whether to run off with Mattie or not. In the end, he decided to stay with Zenobia and keep his relationship with her alive. Just like Frome, Edna suffered from indecision. After seemingly abandoning Mr. Pontellier, Edna entered into a relationship carousel with various men, all within a year’s time. Particularly, she spent a great deal of time with the adventurous Robert Lebrun and Alcee Arobin. Eventually, Edna’s bouncing around from man to man creates an inner conflict within herself. At the end of

Edna’s father, a former Colonel in the Confederate army, raised her daughter in a strict, military way. She was never allowed any freedom, very much similar to her relationship with her husband, and felt restrained. This key concept is stated in Dr. Firestone’s article published on pschologytoday.com entitled “7 Ways Your Childhood Affects How You'll Parent... and how you can break the cycle.” Here, Firestone addresses how challenges we faced growing up can determine what kind of parents we become. For example, in Edna’s case, she was denied her independence throughout her childhood. Now that Edna became a mother, she found it hard to effectively communicate with her children, thus giving them probably too much freedom than they should. Therefore, we can trace Edna’s lack of independence throughout her entire life, thus explaining why she started trying to find men that pleased her, whether it be Robert or Alcee Arobin. Similarly, Ethan was also chained to his past by his parents. Especially in his early adult years, Ethan found himself trying to take care of his parents, while also keeping the struggling farm afloat financially. However, it was with Zenobia’s help that Ethan and her helped take care of his parents through their death, which is part of the reason why Ethan decided to marry her: because she helped him out in a crucial time. Now married and