Abstract
This paper provides a review and analysis of the title character of Edith Wharton's novel, "Ethan Frome," which tells the story of an unhappy, lonely man who seeks comfort in emotional adultery, as a relief from the isolated experience of caring for his sick wife. The paper discusses Frome's deep change over the course of the narrative, asserting that Frome's chill is not simply internal, as a result of misery, but it is because of the physical and social constraints that have emotionally, spiritually, and physically broken him. The paper concludes that Frome's life is akin to a barren farm, partly as a result of tragedy, but also because of his failure to look at the world beyond the social conventions that hem him into the morality of Starkville.

From the Paper
"However, this was not always the case. When the reader first encounters Ethan as a young man, in the section of the story told in the third person, Ethan is described as almost too sensitive, even artistic: "He had always been more sensitive than the people about him to the appeal of natural beauty" (Wharton 29). It is this sensitivity that makes him fall in love with is wife's cousin, because he cannot bear Zeena's coarse nature, her depression, and her hypochondria. At the beginning of the book, although quiet, unlike Zeena, Ethan looks for the best in life and the beauty of the world, even though he cannot put aside the social attitudes that tell him a wife and husband cannot be parted. This is despite the fact that the reader discovers at the end of the novel, Zeena can easily put aside her manipulative use of her illness when necessary."

Tags:Zenobia, Zeena, Starkville

Abstract
This paper reviews the novel "Ethan Frome" and looks at how the main character- Ethan Frome- acts as the tragic hero. The paper discusses how Ethan Frome makes an important decision early in the story and how, by the end, the decision leads to the demise of his moral being. The paper also shows how, while the novel can be categorized as a tragedy, it also contains a sense of irony.

From the Paper
"While Ethan's fate is tragic, his personality also possesses some tragic flaws. The flaws, in fact, can be credited with his ultimate downfall. While the flaws are both major and minor, there is one flaw that stands out from the rest- Ethan's inability to adapt and cope. With a dying wife, and lots of responsibilities (paying off the new hired hand, housework, etc.), Ethan should be stepping up and adapting to the situation and coping with the problem. Instead, he goes sledding with Mattie and attempts suicide; a prime example of his inability to handle certain situations. Another example of a flaw in Ethan's character is his struggle with decision making. In Chapter 5, Ethan must make a decision between rebellion and his own conscience. "

Tags:tragedy, Mattie

Abstract
This paper looks at how Edith Wharton's novel, "Ethan Frome", is a perfect example of the literary theme of naturalism. The paper explains that naturalism is a pessimistic outlook on life in which the hero rarely succeeds and feels overwhelmed by his environment. The paper then discusses the plot and the characters of the novel and describes how the novel clearly fits the many characteristics of a naturalistic novel.

From the Paper
"The environment and setting of Ethan Frome definitely creates a major impact on the lives of the main characters. Starkfield, the desolate Massachusetts town in which the characters inhabit, is the dreary and bleak setting of the novel. Every citizen of Starkfield appears to be affected by the depressing atmosphere and seemingly eternal winter. Frome's dilapidated farm not only serves as another example of the dreariness of the environment of Starkfield, but also sheds light on the isolation of the couple. Ethan and his wife Zeena live atop a hill on the very outskirts of town. This physical isolation from the town, and therefore society, demonstrates the emotional isolation the couple feels as well. "The snow had ceased, and a flash of watery sunlight exposed the house on the slope above us in all its plaintive ugliness. The black wraith of a deciduous creeper flapped from the porch, and the thin wooden walls, under their worn coat of paint, seemed to shiver in the wind that had risen with the ceasing of the snow (Wharton 13)." In addition to the awful condition and isolated location of the Fromes' home, the dynamics between Ethan and his wife create a negative environment as well. Neither Ethan nor his wife truly love each other and they remain married solely because divorce is simply out of the question. The tempting presence of Ethan's secret love, Mattie Silver, also adds tension to an already tense environment. Although Ethan feels overwhelmed in these many negative and dreary environments that surround his life, he feels as though he is trapped. Ethan Frome's depressing environments cause Ethan to feel overwhelmed and trapped."

Tags:pessimistic, environment, negative

Abstract
This essay provides the argument that in Edith Wharton's "Ethan Frome" the author advocates personal responsibility and social duty, but reveals they may be more deadening than perpetuating of life in individuals, even if they perpetuate society as a whole.

From the Paper
"While Edith Wharton might have been a proponent of personal responsibility and its link to social duty, her advocacy of conforming to tradition and custom so that society might persevere and perpetuate is undermined by her naturalistic outlook in "Ethan Frome". In the novel, Wharton sympathizes with the dilemma of the love-struck but married protagonist who ultimately conforms to convention, despite his love for Mattie, but we are unsure whether Wharton is affirming or criticizing Frome's choices. Wharton engages in naturalism, however, when questioning whether his conformity..."

Tags:love, marriage, divorce, social values, desire, meaning

Abstract
The paper discusses Edith Wharton's 1911 novella "Ethan Frome" and describes it as a love story. However, the paper explains that the pairings in the story allow the author to explore and manipulate ideas about masculinity and femininity. The paper shows how Wharton refutes and reinforces ideas about gender with images of fate, free will, dreams and nightmares thus creating a tragedy set in the deceptive prettiness of the New England countryside.

From the Paper
"Edith Wharton's novella "Ethan Frome" is a love story But the pairings in the story are in many ways simply an excuse for the author to explore and manipulate ideas about masculinity and femininity. She plays with refutes and reinforces ideas about gender with images of fate and free will, dreams and nightmares of life and death. In connecting these series, opposites with contrasting views of gender, she creates a tragedy set in the deceptive prettiness of the New England countryside."

Tags:wharton, gender, fate, dream

Abstract
Edith Wharton's 1911 novella "Ethan Frome" allows her to tell a compelling story while simultaneously exploring the gender roles expected of both men and women in pre-World War I American society. This paper discusses and investigates how Wharton both examines and manipulates ideas about both femininity and masculinity in this tale of love, tragedy and human dependence set in the New England countryside.

From the Paper
"Ethan marries Zeena because this is what men are supposed to do (even as she marries him because it is what women are supposed to do. Love does not, on either side, seem to have anything to do with it. Duty is a far stronger motivator in this world than emotion, and Wharton asks us to consider the nature of a society in which duty is so important as to override all other sensibilities. We have all been taught that duty is important, but Wharton reminds us that duty like so many other things, must be taken in moderation, especially as it applies to conventionally defined gender roles."

Tags:gender, edith, wharton, novella, role, men, women, america

Abstract
Themes are very important in classic literature, and those themes are usually universal; they are stories to which we all can relate. Classic literature also possesses the ability to communicate across cultures. Based on that understanding, this paper examines the qualities that make "Ethan Frome", by Edith Wharton, and "To Kill A Mockingbird", by Harper Lee, examples of classic literature.

From the Paper
"Harper Lee expounds on a theme that encourages understanding of self and others in To Kill A Mockingbird. Through issues of prejudice and good versus evil, the children can come to understand why some people behave the way that they do. Atticus stresses the importance of education, as well as a sense of morality in his children. Perhaps the greatest lesson to be learned from To Kill a Mockingbird is that of sympathy and understanding. We learn these lessons with the children through the characters of Boo and Tom. Boo and Tom represent what happens when people are prejudice. In addition, we also witness the consequences of prejudice through Tom's life and death. Lee even adds more appeal to the story by telling from the perspective of a child. This technique is very effective because it allows us to understand the problems in their simplest forms. For example, Scout learns from Atticus not to be so quick to judge others."

Tags:hopes, dreams, failure, maggie, zeena, prejudice, atticus, jem, characters, believable, problems

Abstract
The paper analyzes how through the use of powerful imagery, similes and colours as symbols, Wharton reveals that Ethan loves Mattie because she brings light and warmth to his miserable life. The paper shows how they share a common interest in the beauty of nature which intensifies their love and thus, Ethan sees in Mattie a way to escape his unhappy marriage with Zeena.

From the Paper
"Firstly, Wharton brings to life Ethan's feelings for Mattie through the use of similes. "was like the lighting of a fire on a cold hearth". This simile reveals that Ethan used to be like a "cold hearth", empty, frigid and dark, but then Mattie arrived and lit a fire in his life. His life before Mattie's arrival is contrasted with his life after, it was miserable and hopeless. "Hopeful young life" tells us that simply by being herself, young and lively, she made his life better and he loves it. It also suggests that Mattie gave him hope again, a new reason to live. Ethan feels young again. Thanks to Mattie, a fire is burning in him and Mattie is feeding this fire. "More than the serviceable creature he had thought her" shows the reader that Ethan sees in Mattie more than a housekeeper, he has feelings for her. She is "more", she is the one that listens and shares his fascination for the world "he could show her things and tell her things" reveals that Ethan enjoys her company because she is in admiration before him. It shows that she is young, curious, interested and therefore innocent."

Tags:imagery, simile, colour, nature

Abstract
This paper views the works of Edith Wharton and Gustave Flaubert and identifies the failure to find love in their respective novels. It analyzes the actions of the novels' main characters in terms of romantic love. Ethan and Emma are two frustrated dreamers who are lead to a tragic death when love cannot be obtained.

From the Paper
"A successful novel is one that conveys a concise emotion through theme. When realistic feelings are perceived from a book, the reader is more able to understand and identify with the story. Two novels, Madame Bovary and Ethan Frome, share the theme of failure in similar parabolas of love. The characters in Gustave Flaubert's Madame Bovary and Edith Wharton's Ethan Frome all illustrate failure to find and maintain meaningful relationships and the subsequent effects this has on their lives throughout their respective novels."

Tags:failure, love, romance, death, romantic, relationship, emotion, l

Abstract
The theme of isolation winds its way through the entirety of Edith Wharton's novel "Ethan Frome". The paper shows that from the name of the old farmhouse where Ethan resides, to the desperation to leave said isolation, the reader is able to see the impact that seclusion has on the characters of "Ethan Frome".

From the Paper
"As the reader begins to develop this sense of isolation in the novel, they also begin to see certain events that keep these characters from breaking out of the inevitable seclusion. It seems as thought Ethan sacrifices his freedom as a result of his fear of isolation, which creates a unrelenting and vicious cycle of bleak events. For example, chapter 8 opens with a description of Ethan's cold and barren room. He once did have warmth in the room, but felt it necessary to give the stove which kept his room liveable to Mattie when she came to visit. As a result, Ethan was forced to live in the unbearable cold, which the narrator described as "uninhabitable for several months out of the year" (66)."

Tags:starkfield, Mattie, Zeena, New, England