Abstract Edith Wharton's 1911 novella "EthanFrome" 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 "EthanFrome", 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."
Abstract The paper discusses Edith Wharton's 1911 novella "EthanFrome" 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."
Abstract This paper looks at how Edith Wharton's novel, "EthanFrome", 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."
Abstract The theme of isolation winds its way through the entirety of Edith Wharton's novel "EthanFrome". 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 "EthanFrome".
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)."
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 This paper parallels the classic tragic hero with Edith Wharton's "EthanFrome". The paper describes the central character, EthanFrome, outlining his positive and negative character traits. EthanFrome's inability to take responsibility for himself and his actions, is examined and explained as leading to his ultimate downfall.
From the Paper "The classical tragic hero is a person who has a strong character except for one fatal flaw, which leads to his downfall. In Edith Wharton's Ethan Frome, the title character can be considered a tragic hero because of his will power and strength, but he possesses a flaw that ultimately results in his ruin. This imperfection is Frome's inability to take responsibility for himself and for his actions and to find escape from these responsibilities through other people and means."
Abstract This paper looks at two of Edith Wharton's famous works: "EthanFrome" and "The Age of Innocence". The essay examines the ways that society impedes the consummation of relationships throughout the two novels. Both EthanFrome and Newland Archer are thwarted in their attempts to acquire love, but their adversary is both an invisible and ever-present one. Both men suffer from the strict moral principles underlying the foundation of society. This essay looks at the consequences and sacrifices that one might suffer under strict moral conventions.
From the Paper "Humans have always been magnetized by the irrepressible influences of passion and desire. Spinoza once said, ?Desire is the very essence of man.? Many levels of desire infiltrate human society, but there are also obstructions that can stand in the way of satiating this human yearning. In Edith Wharton's famous novels, Ethan Frome and The Age of Innocence, we find two men in such predicaments. Both Ethan Frome and Newland Archer are cursed to ache with wretchedly interminable unsatisfied desires. Together, they epitomize the tragic consequences of life lived beneath a microscope of societal criticism. Though both characters differ in their social situations, both are alike in the anguish they endure over unobtainable love. Ethan Frome and Newland Archer are tortured by conscience and moral correctness in grave ways. And, the societies described in Wharton's novels have come to embody the common conventions that lead to restraint in moments of perceived gratification."
Abstract The paper introduces, discusses, and analyzes two books, "The Country of the Pointed Firs" by Sarah Orne Jewett, and "EthanFrome" by Edith Wharton. The paper compares and contrasts the two works, especially in the areas of local color and characterization. The paper proposes that discriminating readers might find few commonalities between these novels - "The Country of the Pointed Firs" is a sentimental novel full of local color and vivid characters, while "EthanFrome," is a gloomy novel of love, betrayal, and destiny. The paper further discusses how both novels contain vivid characterization and attention to the local color of the setting that adds vast detail to the works.
From the Paper "Critics may not consider "Ethan Frome" to be a local color novel, but it seems to contain many of the elements local color contains - an emphasis on small town life, use of the local vernacular, and certainly attention to everyday details. For example, early in Wharton's work, the Narrator paints a vibrant picture of the area's winter bleakness. He says, "When I had been there a little longer, and had seen this phase of crystal clearness followed by long stretches of sunless cold; when the storms of February had pitched their white tents about the devoted village and the wild cavalry of March winds had charged down to their support" (Wharton 6)."
Abstract A comparison of these two novels and how they deal with the topics of emotions. They both depict individuals who are inarticulate and inefficient as far as the expressions of love, sorrow or misery are concerned. The story lines of the novels are briefly presented their characters are also compared for their attitudes towards male superiority in the context of each plot.
From the Paper "In her long career, which stretched over forty years and included the publication of more than forty books, Edith Wharton (1862-1937) portrayed a fascinating segment of the American experience. During the span of her literary career as an author, she conceived stories of exceptional originality and depth. Especially well versed in illustrating tales about romantic irony and how cruel little twists of fate dramatically effect circumstances of this nature. Two of her novels, Ethan Frome and the less fictitious Summer, both have a prominent overshadow of these ingredients in them."
From the Paper "The purpose of this paper is to discuss the setting, characters and various other elements of the novel, "Ethan Frome" by Edith Wharton.
Starkfield is aptly named. It is a very hard place in which to spend the winter. The landscapes of this community are lonely, silent and gloomy. The moods of the people of this town frequently swing with the changes in the weather, which at times is almost unendurable. To a certain degree, the nature of Starkfield helps to explain Ethan Frome's relatively austere personality, as well as the morose atmosphere of the town itself and the country which envelopes it.
The narrator is curious to find out why Ethan cannot seem to get away from Starkfield. However, in the search to discover why, the narrator finds out that the people in Starkfield are ... "
Abstract The paper provides an analysis of four critics' views on Nathaniel Hawthorne's short story, "Ethan Brand." The paper reviews the plot of the story and examines Brand's innate value system and the value system of his society. The paper concentrates on Brand's quest to commit the "unpardonable sin."
From the Paper "Critical Analysis of Nathaniel Hawthorne's "Ethan Brand." Nathaniel Hawthorne's short story "Ethan Brand" is the tale of a man who upsets the balance between his own innate values system and that of a society whose applause he craves. He is presented by Hawthorne as having a heart of marble, impenetrable by real morality and solidified by the workings of pride. The Biblical concept of the Unpardonable Sin is used as the target of the protagonist's quest to locate himself in a world steeped in intellect and reason."
Abstract This paper examines the life and literary works of celebrated novelist Edith Wharton. The author discusses Wharton's early biographical influences, which led to her main themes in "EthanFrome", "Age of Innocence", and "The Old Maid". The paper also addresses how Wharton wrote brilliantly on the issue of the rigid confinements of her own aristocratic society, impossible love, and characters who stoically accepted their fates.
From the Paper "Edith Wharton was born January 24th, 1862 to wealthy parents in traditional old New York . Governesses and tutors privately educated Wharton at her home and abroad. At a young age, she displayed interest in writing but was discouraged away from the arts by her family. In the late 1800s, women were still considered only worthy of becoming beautiful objects and getting married. Women were supposed to act like na?ve, innocent children. Her mother felt that Wharton should not pursue writing. Nevertheless, Wharton completed her first novella at age fourteen and published a collection of verses two years later."
A literary study emphasizing the psychological and emotional implications of the three major characters, Ethan, Zeena, and Mattie, whose detrimental submission to fear traps them each in a life of misery.
1,135 words (approx. 4.5 pages), 3 sources, 1999, $ 39.95
From the Paper "Ethan Frome depicts the lethal inclination buried in every human heart to passively accept what is given in life rather than to fight for a desire. It demonstrates the line between responsibility to others and responsibility to self. It condemns extreme self-sacrifice and advocates self-care. Ethan was afraid to change circumstances that were well within his reach. He was emotionally crippled in this way, and it eventually caused the physical crippling of both himself and Mattie, the women he loved. As a result, he is forced to live the rest of his life in desolation with the two bickering women whom he made miserable through his indecisiveness. It is his punishment and his hell on earth. As the narrator says when he once glimpses Ethan's unguarded face, "he looks as if he were dead and in hell now" (5)."
Abstract The paper analyzes Nathaniel Hawthorne's literary career and offers a close analysis of his short story, "Ethan Brand." The paper discusses the influences on Hawthorne and includes ideas found in The Scarlet Letter. The paper also reviews critical interpretations of "Ethan Brand."
From the Paper "Nathaniel Hawthorne. A Review of the Writer and his Short Story "Ethan Brand." Nathaniel Hawthorne's literary career is a fascinating one. He was highly educated and spent much of his early childhood being formally educated within an illustrious group of influential New Englanders. His classmates included fellow writer Horatio Bridge, future President Franklin Pierce and poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. During Hawthorne's life he was closely associated with Herman Melville, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau and Walt Whitman."
