Edith Wharton's book Ethan Frome is the tale of a man, his wife and the woman he falls in love with. Ethan marries Zeena but falls in love with Mattie who is the opposite of his wife in every way. Where Zeena is sedentary and a sickly woman, Mattie is exciting and lively. In an ironic turn of events the woman he falls in love with transforms into a mirror image of his wife. Ethan married Zeena, out of fear of being alone for the rest of his life and suffers an unhappy and loveless marriage because of it.
After ruling out divorce and leaving to go west with Mattie, they ultimately decide that they will only truly be free of Zeena in death. There was no way out -none. He was a prisoner for life, and now his one ray of light was to be extinguished. Mattie's injuries prevented her from going anywhere making her just as bad as Zeena. Like Zeena, she never left the house and was constantly needing help.
She lost everything that made her who she was. She went from a lively young woman who was waiting for an adventure, to a crippled woman who was dependent on others to take care of her.
The attempt that should have set him free of Zeena, transforms Mattie into a mirror image of the very thing he tried to escape. Ethan Frome's life becomes one long continuation of Ironic events that he can't escape from. Denis Eady A wealthy Irishman who inherited his father's grocery store. He is also the proprietor of a livery stable in Starkfield. He courts Mattie. Aunt Martha Pierce Zeena's aunt. When Zeena goes to Bettsbridge to see Dr. Buck, she stays with Aunt Martha.
Buck The doctor Zeena sees in Bettsbridge. He tells her that she has "complications" and advises her not to do any housework.
Aunt Philura Maple Zeena's aunt. The red glass pickle dish was her wedding present to Ethan and Zeena. Daniel Byrne The Fromes' neighbor. He takes Mattie's trunk to the train station. Literature Poetry Lit Terms Shakescleare. Download this LitChart!
Teachers and parents! Struggling with distance learning? Our Teacher Edition on Ethan Frome can help. Themes All Themes. Symbols All Symbols. Theme Wheel. Everything you need for every book you read. The way the content is organized and presented is seamlessly smooth, innovative, and comprehensive. Ethan Frome The protagonist of the novel and its tragic hero, Ethan is 28 years old in the main narrative and 52 years old in the frame story.
According to the Narrator , he is a tall… read analysis of Ethan Frome. Zenobia Zeena Frome Ethan 's wife, who is 35 at the time of the main narrative, is described as "already an old woman," with false teeth, wrinkles, a skeletal physique, and a sallow complexion.
Ned has died by the time the narrator comes to Starkfield. When Ethan requests that Hale extend him an advance on a lumber load, Hale is forced to politely refuse, citing his own financial constraints. Nevertheless, Ethan mistakenly continues to regard him as a possible source of a loan. Hale extends an unexpected degree of warmth to Ethan after encountering him by chance one winter afternoon. Her kindness and praise for his dedication to Zeena lead Ethan to reevaluate his decision to borrow money from Andrew Hale to elope with Mattie.
The hired man on the Frome farm. Markedly reticent, Powell is sensitive to the tensions between the Fromes but loath to involve himself in them.
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