Ethan Frome Quotes

Symbolism can give additional meaning to a variety of texts. From music to movies to novels, symbolism creates an even deeper meaning than found in a surface reading. The symbolism found within Ethan Frome adds to the inherent meaning of the text to give it an even deeper meaning. Edith Wharton uses the pickle dish, the Oak tree, and the cat as symbols to achieve deeper meaning. The pickle dish is of great significance in the novel. It is used to represent Zeena's virginity.

“There was no way out- none. He was a prisoner for life, and now his one ray of light to be extinguished”(Wharton 29). Miserable routines caused by terrible occurrences trappes Ethan Frome every single day. Edith Wharton opposes the idea of following any routine. Wharton expresses that routines and cycles prevent a person from expressing their own desires or achieving their personal goals in life. These cycles prohibit a person from seeing changes within their environment and possible opportunities that could improve their life. Even if a person breaks free from a routine, an endless amount of reasons exist to pull them back in. Ethan Frome momentarily escapes from his daily routine to pursue his education, but not far into this break he has to return in order to help his family. Ethan Frome somehow found a way out of his miserable routine, but failed to take that exit; resulting in a life much worse than before. Finding a way out seems like a reasonable solution to escape bad situations, but taking such a great risk to completely change one’s entire life, seems nearly impossible for any citizens of Starkfield. In the novella, Ethan Frome, Edith Wharton exemplifies how routines deny a person from reaching their full potential through the constant pull Ethan and other members of Starkfield receive to follow their normal, average routine and not follow their desires.

In the story Ethan Frome, it was a love triangle. Ethan was married to a sickly women named Zeena. When Mattie Silver was the maid of the Frome home, Ethan almost instantly fell for her. Ethan got married too quickly because he had a fear of being lonely. Zeena seemed to be the only option for Ethan, and so he married her. Zeena was not a nice women and controlled his own home and said that she was sick and needed a maid. This is the reasoning for Matties arrival.Ethan fell for her and Zeena knew that. She wanted Mattie out by leading her to go somewhere else, but Ethan did not want to let her go. This is what lead to the purposeful sledding incident. There could have been a change to this. At the end of the story Ethan Frome, it

For at least the young Ethan Frome, his desire to make others happy is a defining feature of his personality. The seemingly contented man introduced to readers contrasts with the unfortunate description of his education: “his father’s death, and the misfortunes following it, had put a premature end to Ethan’s studies…” (14). Even in his youth, Ethan prioritizes the needs and wants of others over his own. While dropping out of school was inevitable once the funds stopped flowing, his decision not to sell the family farm and remain in Starkfield is the most socially acceptable thing to do. With the whole town of Starkfield watching, Ethan accepted his duties as a son and eventual husband. These obligations corned Ethan, so much so that he was not able to elope with Mattie. Although Ethan despises his wife, his concern for her is demonstrated when he thinks: “and what of Zeena’s fate?...how could she keep the farm going?” Even when he’s about to leave her, Ethan is still worried about her prospects and position in society. In this respect, Zeena personifies all inhibitors of dreams: time, money, education and ability. Ethan’s failure to get away from Zeena is indicative of his resignation to fate.

This quote was found on page 13, in the introduction when Harmon Gow is explaining to the narrator who Ethan Frome is.

The novel Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton tells the story of Ethan Frome and the tragedy he faces in his life. The story mainly focuses on the relationships between and among Ethan, his wife, and his wife’s cousin, with whom he is in love. Wharton uses different literary devices to develop the plot, including irony as one of the most effective. The use of irony in the novel, especially in the climatic sledding scene, greatly adds to the development of the tragedy.

“Mattie put her lips close against his ear to say: ‘right into the big elm. You said you could. So ‘t we’d never have to leave each other anymore.’” This quote illustrates the character flaws of Ethan Frome and addresses the catastrophic accident that occurs at the end of the novel. Ethan’s passive attitude and love for Mattie throughout the novel leads to his inevitable destruction.

Just after Zeena informs him of Mattie’s forced departure, he thinks, “Now she had mastered him and he abhorred her. Mattie was her relation, not his: there was no means by which he could compel her to keep the girl under her roof.” Zeena is the master of the house, not Ethan. Around Zeena, Ethan’s masculinity is threatened, which was unheard of for the time period. Also note how Wharton uses the phrase ‘her roof’ to stress that Zeena is the one who wears the pants in the relationship. At a different part of the book, Mattie breaks the pickle dish and relies on Ethan to fix the problem. In addition, “She did not even ask what he had done…he had never known such a thrilling sense of mastery.” Ethan feels like the man of the house with Mattie, his masculinity is strengthened, and he isn’t being ordered around like someone’s dog. Wharton does this to add to Ethan’s yearning for a better life with Mattie and to be permanently rid of his

Humans turn to manipulation when they desperately want something, without focusing on the consequences. For instance, in the novella Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton, characters such as Zeena and Ethan use manipulation when they need or want something. For example, Ethan uses manipulation in order to impress or be with Mattie. This is shown, when Ethan believes, “If the Hales were sorry for him they would surely respond to his appeal… He was planning to take advantage of the Hales’ sympathy to obtain money from them on false pretences.” (112-113), proving Ethan is manipulating the Hales’ sympathy in order to have enough money to leave with Mattie. Zeena also uses her health in order to manipulate others. For instance, Zeena grabs Ethan’s attention

In Edith Wharton’s Ethan Frome, failure to reach one’s potential causes mental and physical wear. Ethan’s life exemplifies this concept. He is stuck in Starkfield where he does not want to be, living in poverty when he is capable of so much more. He must pay for Zeena’s medical expenses and help her with housekeeping, while also maintaining the farm.

"Zeena herself, from an oppressive reality, had faded into an insubstantial shade." This quote from the perspective of the main character, Ethan Frome illuminates Edith Wharton's theme and message of silence, the working force in the novella which tares the characters apart. It is Ethan and Zeena who, unhappily married, remain together to appease their community while their thoughts continue to remain unsaid, silenced to maintain the lies that lay in the innermost parts of themselves, changing their character beyond redemption. It is this silence that Ethan continues to uphold which cripples him, trapping him in a depression that emits the loudest cry of grief. This significant factor in the narrative intrigues the thought "is it better to

The book Ethan Fromes is named after its main character. Ethan lives in a cold, snowy town called Starkfield with his wife Zeena. Although Ethan is married, he is falling in love with Zeena's cousin, Mattie Silver, who lives with the Fromes as an aid to the sickly Zeena. Throughout the story, we learn that Ethan is an unhappy man. He is married to a woman who has not only crushed his dreams but has also failed to love him the way a spouse should. He now sees that marrying Zeena was a mistake and knows that he faces a life of caring for this miserable woman, who will not care for him in return. Despite the fact that his wife makes him despondent, he is unwilling to fight her oppressive rule over him. Zeena behaves more like his master than

The house is a connection to who the characters are, their being and culture. This is evident when the “black fella” is constantly telling Quick to “go home” throughout the story, referring to Cloudstreet. Rose’s decision to give up her house in the new suburbs and move back to Cloudstreet is also an example of this connection to the house, as Rose and Quick, as part of their character development, realise they cannot abandon who they are; they cannot abandon Cloudstreet.

Ethan’s passionate longing to run away with Mattie is destroyed by his responsibility to his wife. As long as someone in Starkfield is having a dance or party, “...not long afterward he had reached the point of wishing that Starkfield might give all its nights to revelry” (9), Ethan has

What Ethan is blind to see is that no matter who he was with, or where he was, he would still fail in finding a greater happiness. His moral values hold him back from grasping what he really needs. He is the perfect example of a person who can’t except what they have directly infront of them. Ethan makes a living in Starkfield, and has a wife and identity in the small town. Before Mattie entered the picture, Ethan was content with the simplistic life he was accustomed too. Even though his marriage wasn’t the best, he didn’t complain, because he knew when he married her he would care for her ‘in sickness or in health’. Mattie’s youth re-awakened his boyish desires for an exciting future, but he is far too old and obligated to Zeena’s health at this point in his life to fulfill them. It is imbedded in human nature to strive for the best, and to do whatever it takes to grasp it, but our religious or moral values keep our internal demons at bay. Ethan is tempted by Matties dream, that they can run away from their problems here and start a new life away from home, but understands the unattainable reality in the situation. He is an intelligent man, who is emotionally weak because he is so easily swayed when Mattie pushes him in a certain direction. Ethan is tired of taking care of Zeena, and feels constricted by her ever watchful eye. He and Mattie attempt suicide, because for them it seems like