Ethan frome begins with the curiosity of the narrator. He falls in love with his wifes good and lovely cousin. Ethan frome doesnt have supernatural elements like some gothic tales, but it features a strong sense of dread, and is very focused on death, and on the ways that people become trapped, both physically and mentally in their lives. The result is an abrupt and curtailed view of frome s plight, of which we now hold a background understanding. One can distinguish several kinds of constraintsit is clear that zeena is not affected by exactly the same problems as ethan or mattie. Zenobia zeena frome character analysis in ethan frome. Ethan frome summary ethan frome is a novel by edith wharton in which the title character, ethan, struggles in his marriage to his wife, zeena, and falls in love with her cousin mattie.
Although it is socially forbidden that the pair become an actual couple, they will do anything to be together including commit suicide. R tolkien is, arguably, the greatest epic fantasy to ever be written. Throughout the whole book, we always feel the great impression of constraint on ethan, mattie and zeena. The story mainly focuses on the relationships between and among ethan, his wife, and his wifes cousin, with whom he is in love.
Ethan frome is set in the fictional starkfield, massachusetts during the late 1800s to early 1900s. Ethan frome is a 1911 book by american author edith wharton. She found a story that is as moral as the classic fairy tale and that functions as a realistic social criticism. In mattie, ethan finds a somewhat mystical kinshipthe text compares ethans infatuation with his wifes cousin to the shock of silent joy that he feels when he contemplates the beauties of nature. Litcharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in ethan frome, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work. He spots a limping, quiet man around the village, who is somehow compelling in his demeanor and carriage. Ethan frome prelude and chapters 12 summary and analysis. Ethan frome the protagonist of the story, ethan is a farmer whose family has lived and died on the same massachusetts farm for generations. It is set in the fictitious town of starkfield, massachusetts. The prologue, which is neither named as such nor numbered, opens with an. The man becomes fascinated with ethan and wants to know his story. Detailed quotes explanations with page numbers for every important quote on the site. Ethan frome, a mild mannered yet weak willed young man, trudges through his days in a haze of hopelessness.
The novel is framed by the literary device of an extended flashback. Despite having finished ethan frome a good fortnight or so ago now, im still haunted by this book, and suspect that i will be for a long time to come. Ethan frome is set during a cold new england winter, in which an isolated farmer tries to scrape out a meager living while tending to his demanding, ungrateful wife, zeena. The first paragraph describes the winter night when ethan walks into town to meet mattie at the church. Summary plot overview finding himself laid up in the small new england town of starkfield for the winter, the narrator sets out to learn about the life of a mysterious local named ethan frome, who had a tragic accident some twenty years earlier. According to the narrator, ethan constitutes the remains of a once powerful and sensitive man, now bound and frustrated by the crippling effects of a. The space between the 52yearold ethan of the prologue and the 28yearold ethan of chapter 1 is waiting to be filled in by the rest of the story. Mattie wonders if ethan himself is similarly inclined, although dismissal of mattie is the furthest thing from ethan s mind. Detailed explanations, analysis, and citation info for every important quote on litcharts. Ned hale, and harmon gow, a longtime resident and former stagecoach driver, about ethan. Pdf downloads of all 1297 litcharts literature guides, and of every new one we publish. Her mind was a storehouse of innocuous anecdote and any question about her acquaintances brought forth a volume of detail.
A sensitive figure, ethan has a deep, almost mystical appreciation of nature, and he feels a strong connection to the youth, beauty, and. The novella begins with the narrator telling us that he learned this story in pieces from a variety of sources, each with a different version. Ethan frome chapters 35 summary and analysis gradesaver. Read a plot overview of the entire book or a chapter by chapter summary and analysis. Ethan frome has enjoyed greater popularity than any other of edith whartons twentytwo novels and novellas. Ethan frome thug notes summary and analysis youtube.
Mary thompson ethan frome analysis in edith whartons novel ethan frome, setting is an important element. He has a powerful look, that is bleak and unapproachable. As the story opens, wharton continues the imagery and symbolism of the winter setting in starkfield. Summary read a plot overview of the entire book or a chapter by chapter summary and analysis. There is an authors introduction to ethan frome, written by wharton in 1922. Wharton once again shifts the point of view to the first person. These physical changes give us hints of depths of the inner transformations taking place. The prologue of ethan frome is told in the first person by a nameless man. The frame story takes place nearly twenty years after the events of the main story and is written in first person, revealing the thoughts and feelings of the narrator.
For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one. Ethan frome begins when the narrator, an engineer who is living temporarily in starkfield, massachusetts while working on a project in a nearby town, becomes curious about ethan frome. Both men were married to wives that were cold hearted, passiveaggressive and because edith wharton was born in 1862 and this novel was written in 1911, ive always resisted reading the story fearing that it might contain florid prose and descriptions, which are often mind. Ethan frome cliffsnotes study guides book summaries. The prologue not only introduces the narrator, but also describes starkfield and the winter setting, inhabitants of starkfield, and provokes curiosity about the tragedy experienced by ethan frome. In the prologue the narrator makes it clear that he is dazzled by ethan frome, and ethans kindness. Read a plot overview of the entire book or a chapter by chapter summary. A ruin of a man, according to the narrator, he is still a striking figure.
The love between mattie in ethan starts off as shy, childlike flirting, and as far as readers know, ethan s love for mattie is unrequitted love. Ethan frome was a mostly money strapped farmer in a miserable marriage while stoner was raised by hardworking farm people. Ethan frome, the main character in the book entitled ethan frome, by edith wharton, has many complex problems going on at the same time. Dazzled, infatuated, loyal, and a little condescending. Ethan frome, a farmer frustrated in his ambition to become an engineer or a chemist and in his marriage to a nagging, sour, sickly wife. Left at an impasse, the couple drops the subject wordlessly, and ethan and mattie continue on their way. The framing story concerns an unnamed male narrator spending a winter in starkfield while in the area on business. Ethan frome chapters 910 summary and analysis gradesaver.
The setting greatly influences the characters, transportation, and activities. The narrator sees ethan frome and begins to ask the local gossips about him. The epilogue is a denouement, or conclusion to the plot of the main story and the frame story as well. Ethan lives on a large farm where there are no neighbors for quite a ways, which allows for him to stay secluded and become depressed as the story progresses because starkfield is a place that you seemingly get stuck in. Ethan is a man in his early fifties who is obviously strong, and obviously crippled. Ethan frome is a novel by edith wharton in which the title character, ethan, struggles in. In chapter 1 of ethan frome we are sent back in time about 24 years, and we find young ethan frome walking on a snowy, moonless night to some mysterious purpose 1. Ethan married zeena because he was afraid of silence, just as his mother was. In this brief epilogue, wharton summons us back to the present, resuming the narrators description of his visit to the frome household. The characters in ethan frome are particularly marked by the physical transformations they undergo. Ethan associates mattie with his mother, who unlike zeena makes the farmhouse kitchen a warm and inviting place. He has blue eyes and brown hair with a streak of light. Dive deep into edith whartons ethan frome with extended analysis. Ethan frome quiz that tests what you know about important details and events in the book.
The novel by edith wharton ethan frome tells readers of the life of one family that represents the rural workingclass of new. The fromes appear to suffer from a fear of loneliness, which causes them to make poor decisions. Literary essay on edith whartons ethan frome examine the theme of prisoners in the novel. Love is an extremely evident key message in ethan frome, because of ethan and matties love for each other. Structural analysis of ethan frome anonymous 10th grade ethan frome since its first publication in 1995, the lord of the rings by j. The setting takes place in a small town called starkfield. It is also better known than any of her short stories, nonfiction, or poetry. In her introduction wharton explains how and why she went about writing ethan frome. Serialized in scribners magazine from august to october in 1911, ethan frome was published in book form the same year. If youre after a read thats relentlessly desultory but that is, despite its inherent emoness, worthy of your emotional investment, then pick up a copy of this book, and read it straight through. Edith wharton wrote ethan frome as a frame story meaning that the prologue and epilogue constitute a frame around the main story. The frame is the narrators vision of the tragedy that befalls ethan frome.
Novels that try to capture life as it was or is in a certain place and time are considered realist. One possible explanation is that zeena saw an opportunity to torment both ethan and mattie by taking in. At the frome gate, ethan attempts to reassure mattie, and the companions then draw together as they ascend the hill. Analysis of ethan frome english literature essay uk essays. His family has died and he has a wife that is continually sick, and the only form of happiness he has is from his wifes cousin mattie. This is ethan frome, who is a lifelong resident and a local fixture of the community.
Ethan frome by edith wharton meet your next favorite book. Ethan frome by edith wharton setting analysis essay bartleby. A nameless engineer is in starkfield, massachusetts on business and he first sees ethan frome at the post office. Summary plot overview summary plot overview finding himself laid up in the small new england town of starkfield for the winter, the narrator sets out to learn about the life of a mysterious local named ethan frome, who had a tragic accident some twenty years earlier. Ethan frome the novel ethan frome by edith wharton tells the story of ethan frome and the tragedy he faces in his life. The readers first meet ethan frome and hardly guess anything about his terrible tragedy, the narrator cannot get the details from the native citizens, just mrs. Ethan frome is unique among edith whartons works in that it tells the tale of an isolated drama, far from the urban and societal concerns of her longer novels.
The narrator resumes the story about ethan frome that he began in the prologue more than twenty years after the tragedy experienced by ethan and mattie. Ethan frome is a novel by edith wharton that was first published in 1911. The themetracker below shows where, and to what degree, the theme of duty and morality vs. Through the course of the story, we learn how title character ethan frome transformed from a healthy young man with dreams and aspirations into a man with severe spinal injury, a suspicious red gash on. The novel was adapted into a film, ethan frome, in 1993. He appears to be tall, though his strong shoulders are bent out of shape.