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How does edith wharton use symbolism and imagery in ethan frome
How does edith wharton use symbolism and imagery in ethan frome
How does edith wharton use symbolism and imagery in ethan frome
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Ethan flirted with Mattie and would try his hardest to impress her, for example, he began shaving his face everyday which he never used to do for Zeena. These inappropriate actions caused chaos within the household. Ethan began to lust over Mattie, wanting to spend as much
Zeena had a sort of authority over Ethan which is given the perspective of the cat. The cat in this novel seemed resemble Zeena to a great extent. Both the cat and Zeena have very slick, sly, and destructive behaviors. “The cat backs into the pickle dish and it falls to the floor with a crash,” ( Wharton 32) “then jumped into Zeena's chair, rolled itself into a ball, and lay watching them [Ethan and Mattie] with narrowed eyes.” (Wharton 34) These quotes demonstrate that although Zeena ruined the marriage, for some reason she wanted to keep Ethan around.
In the book, Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton Ethan is the main character. Ethan starts off in the story as a pushover but as the story goes along he gains a backbone against the protagonist, Zenna. Ethan is a round and dynamic character. In the beginning of the story when they go back in time you can tell that he doesn’t speak too much and is kinda detached from the rest of the town.
He and Mattie are sledding down the large hill near his home when Mattie tells him to steer “Right into the elm tree … So ‘t we’d never have to leave each other any more” (Wharton 71). This was one of the few opportunities that Ethan procures to escape his dismal life at home, yet he messes it up again after thoughts of Zeena poured into his mind, causing him to steer away from his target. This is practically a representation of Ethan’s entire life. He has many hopes and dreams of escaping his disheartened life in pursuit of a superior one, but right as he is about to act, something always seems to impede his judgement, causing him to be incapable of enacting his own personal free will.
As a result, his relationships with Mattie and Zeena worsen with him being the one getting the full brunt of the negative effects all because of his decision to try and end both his and Mattie’s lives. The plight of Ethan evokes pity in the audience because even with his strength, intelligence, and affinity towards nature, he remains thoroughly unsatisfied in both of his relationships because of him showing genuine care for everyone. Ethan is a tragic hero because Wharton exhibits his fatal flaw of selflessness as the cause for fixating him in tragic circumstances, and making them go downhill, all the while generating sympathy for him. Through his desire to keep everyone away from unnecessary pain, Ethan evolves as a tragic hero by involving himself in situations that make it hard for him to escape such as his relationships. First of all, he chooses to take care of his parents himself which prevents him from pursuing an education and keeps him socially isolated.
Ethan is more of an introvert than an extrovert, and he longs for the approval of his father. Antagonist: Morgan Davis: Morgan is Ethan’s father. Ethan is in love with a 14 year old orphan named Rachel, but Morgan wants him to marry a girl with status. He tries to sabotage Ethan’s relationship with Rachel. An example of this is revealed in Rachel’s diary.
Ethan was obviously not in the right frame of mind commiting the crime. “He was spoiled by his parents and did not understand consequences”(fox4news staff). If Ethan did not understand consequences than he didn’t know that what he was doing was wrong. And he thought he wasn't going to get in trouble. Ethan’s parents weren't exactly the best parents in the world.
This hurts Ethan in the future because when he needs help from the Rangers, they refuse since he abandoned them and has been charged with murder of the store owner. Another flaw of Ethan’s is that since he doesn’t trust anyone but himself, he often doesn’t tell people
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.
In the book Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton, Ethan Frome was simply imprisoned in a love triangle with his wife, Zeena Frome, and her cousin, Mattie Silver, until death fell upon him. Mattie Silver was who he longed for with great desire, but he was held by the chains of his ill wife who wished to rid of her. Why had Ethan Frome not just divorced his wife? This is what one may inquire and one may apprise the inquisitor that Ethan Frome followed the rules of society by isolating his true self from it by not speaking up. Nevertheless, if he did not follow the rules, he would simply be looked down upon by his peers.
One reason is that he stuck to his desires despite the odds. Specifically, Ethan did not give up on Mattie even after they both became paralyzed after they failed to elope. He did not abandon Mattie even if he was already married to Zeena. In fact, he continued to support Mattie even after he became Zeena’s husband. Despite his physical limitations, he still tries to make a living to support Mattie and, presumably, Zeena.
After the narrator appeared shocked at Harmon’s assertion that Ethan Frome could live to be a hundred years old due to his already aged appearance, Harmon suggested that this is so because “...he’s been in Starkfield too many winters” (Wharton on 5). There is a harsh, cold in the world outside for six months each year and Ethan had been subjected to its brutality for his entire life. But relief from the elements cannot be found in the Frome household for the cold within their home is just as brutal. Wharton makes it quite clear to her readers that Ethan does not love his wife, for he harbors a secret affection for Zeena’s cousin, Mattie.
Ethan is a very angry, judgemental, and discrimitory person. Readers can take this from the text because all throughout the story, he was puching for the guilty virdict. He thought it was an easy case that could be done within an hour before the ball game that everyone wanted to go see. We can tell this by him saying, “I really think this is one of those open and shut things. They proved it a dozen different ways.”
Right after the dish breaks, Ethan said that Zeena would have to blame it on the cat. In chapter 7, Ethan blames the cat which caused Zeena to “turn her eyes to Mattie” (Wharton, chap 7). This could also mean that Zeena blames Mattie for breaking the dish and relationship. In chapter 6, Ethan gets the glue to fix the dish. Symbolically it could mean that he found a plan or a way to fix his relationship.
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.
