Zeena Frome, the wife of Ethan Frome, lives in solitude, as Ethan chases after another woman. Zeena’s pride won’t allow her to have Ethan stolen away from her. It would be shameful for Zeena to have another woman, whom she allowed into her home, to steal her husband. Therefore, Zeena is forced to fake the intensity of her illness because that is the only way to prevent Ethan from leaving her. Because of her fake illness, Zeena is even more confined in the prison of her house. She is not able to be mobile, lest she wants Ethan to find out that her illness is not as severe as she plays it out to be.
