An important aspect of literature is being able to identify an author’s purpose in their writing. Two works of literature in which the author had a purpose in writing were The Awakening, by Kate Chopin, and Ethan Frome, by Edith Wharton. Both of these works are technically considered classics and have their merits in that the author is clearly trying to convey a message regarding the social attitudes of the time. In general, both novels tell a story critiquing society’s attitudes towards human freedom and life. However, the specific messages each author was trying to get across and its applications is what is different. For example, while The Awakening focuses on Edna and her sexual desires and liberation from marriage, Ethan Frome has a broader message on the chains which hold its titular …show more content…
In it, Edna does not remain loyal to her husband, favoring affairs with younger men who make her feel more free or candid than her actual husband. Chopin’s novel paints a picture of a tragic Edna, one who is justified in her extramarital affairs and sexual escapades. Her purpose is to justify Edna’s actions by spreading a message she deems feminist: that marriage withholds women from reaching their full potential, or even happiness in general. It is a controversial message, especially for the time, and one can go so far as to argue that even if one is a feminist they don’t condone cheating in any situation. Regardless, any reader of The Awakening will be able to identify this message. The tragic culmination of the story, Edna’s death, reveals the message as one of what happens when women are held back by societal chains such as marriage. Ethan Frome has a similar plot, involving an extramarital relationship between Ethan and his cousin-in-law Mattie and his grouchy, invalid wife Zeena who gets between them. Ethan’s suffering, like Edna’s, seems to derive mainly from the constraints placed upon him by society,