Ethan Frome

There is much more to Ethan Frome than simply an unhappy love story. In fact, Wharton offers the reader a complex story through the adequate use of literary devices to find the deeper meaning. Whether it is told directly or it is integrated in between the lines, all written pieces have the sense of a deeper meaning. While Edith Wharton tells the story of Ethan’s desperate hopes and attempts to leave his dreary life, she employs different themes, symbolism and foreshadowing to convince the reader…

as in the novel Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton. The main protagonist in this novel is Ethan Frome. He renders the impression of a man to be pitied because faith has dealt him with a bad hand. But, it could be argued that it is because of Ethane lack of common sense, faith itself did not deal him a bad hand, but he chooses the path that led him down to a desolate road. The story of Ethan Frome takes place…

In her realist novel, Ethan Frome, Edith Wharton strategically crafts a story that highlights the contrast between two opposing archetypal images, winter and darkness versus summer and light, in order to draw forth a comparison between the effect that both Zeena, Ethan’s wife, and Mattie, Ethan’s love interest, have on Ethan. Zeena’s stark personality and depressive aura causes her to exemplify the desolate qualities of winter, dragging Ethan into a life classified by lonely days and even…

Modeled after Edith Wharton's novella of the same name, the 1993 adaptation of Ethan Frome does a pleasant job in retelling the original story. In the film, as in the novella, Ethan Frome depicts the story of a scandalous love triangle between Ethan (Liam Neeson), a farmer, Zeena (Joan Allen), Ethan’s sickly wife, and Mattie (Patricia Arquette), Zeena’s caretaker set in a dull New England town. These three characters, all with very different in personalities, trapped in a claustrophobic…

In the case of Ethan Frome, the fictional protagonist highlighted in the novel Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton, life had never been able to live up to his expectations. Frome aspired to escape his dreary hometown of Starkfield, Massachusetts and distinguish himself in a big city as an engineer, but these dreams were put on hold when his mother fell ill and Frome was left to care for her. When Frome met Zeena, a fellow caregiver of his mother and his future wife, he saw that she could be the perfect…

Significance of Setting in Ethan Frome In the novel Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton, the setting plays a significant role in many facets including the plot, the decisions of the characters, and the development of the overall atmosphere. The setting of the novel, Starkfield, is a cold, lifeless place with long winters that often make the townspeople downhearted. The town’s six month winters cause the people to stay indoors and keep to themselves. The long, bleak winters also have a remarkable…

symbolism in her novel Ethan Frome to provide descriptions about the characters and their personalities. Ethan, Zeena, and Mattie are symbolized by colors many times throughout Ethan Frome, and are all symbolized by a specific color as well. Zeena is representative of the color black, as it represents her darkness. Mattie is representative of the colors white and red, as it shows her effervescent personality, but reveals her turbulent side as well. The color grey represents Ethan, and his…

Research Paper Ethan Frome Often times in literature, characters are depicted being lonely. Edith Wharton compelling novel, “Ethan Frome” is one such piece. Wharton’s portrayal of Ethan suggests that loneliness cause people to be heartbroken and isolated. Such illness can lead to physical and mental health issues. Throughout the novel, Wharton focuses on loneliness as a major theme. Ethan Frome is a very complex man. Ethan was aggravating to make a living for himself through farming, while…

Have you ever felt dissatisfied and and imprisoned and suddenly feel happy, hopeful, and in love? That’s how Ethan felt in his marriage. Caged in, imprisoned,and unpleased.Tired of the same boring day to day miserable life and wife who shows no intimacy whatsoever. Yet Edith Wharton makes Ethan change throughout the book Ethan Frome when this woman named Mattie Silver the cousin of his unloving wife comes along. He feels like there is another chance for life to be happy again, then he changes…

novel Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton has an extensive amount of imagery, many scenes are accompanied by descriptions of the bitter winter that encompasses the town. Even the name of the town that the characters inhabit, “Starkfield”, contributes to this imagery. In the novel, Ethan Frome is no longer in love with his wife, Zeena, but now yearns for her younger cousin, Mattie Silver. During the harsh winter that the main story takes place in, Mattie is a warm and comforting presence to Ethan in…