Essay Comparing The Crucible And Ethan Frome

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The two books, The Crucible and Ethan Frome, there are similarities between the two wives that are responsible for their husbands’ affairs. In The Crucible, John Proctor was married to Elizabeth and in Ethan Frome, Ethan is married to Zeena. Both John and Ethan were in love with younger girls. Elizabeth and Zeena left these younger, prettier girls in their homes as their servants and as a result, both of their husbands took a liking of their servants. Both Abigail and Mattie were beautiful. When the wives weren’t home or not paying attention, their husbands would almost always be around the young girls. For example, in Ethan Frome, when Zeena left to go see the new doctor in Bettsbridge, Ethan was so excited to get a night alone with Mattie. …show more content…

Another similarity was that, Elizabeth and Zeena both disliked their servants because of their husbands’ liking to the girls; which would later cause an affair. When they both found out about the affair they tried their best to remove their servants from their homes because they didn’t want the girls around their husbands. Elizabeth and Zeena both let their husbands fall for their servants; they let them alone with the girls and allowed them to get to know the girls as well. One last similarity is that, Elizabeth and Zeena made space between them and their husbands. They weren’t always close to their husbands. For example, in Ethan Frome, Zeena would go upstairs to bed after dinner and leave Ethan and Mattie alone together. Elizabeth and Zeena let John and Ethan wander away from them, and because of that, they weren’t as close as they used to be. Another example, in the stage directions in The Crucible it says, “He [John] gets up, goes to her [Elizabeth], kisses her. She receives it. With a certain disappointment, he returns to the table.” Elizabeth has made distance in their relationship and Zeena did the same thing. Even the smallest actions caused their husbands’ actions towards the …show more content…

Elizabeth loved John and he loved her back, but Zeena and Ethan didn’t love each other. John didn’t leave Elizabeth for Abigail, while Ethan was going to leave Zeena for Mattie. Also, Elizabeth actually talked to John, while Zeena wasn’t around Ethan that much to talk to him. Elizabeth was seen doing housework and taking care of their kids. Zeena wasn’t seen often because she didn’t do housework; she was mostly alone upstairs. Another difference was that, Elizabeth ad John had kids and Zeena and Ethan did not. It proves that Elizabeth and John loved each other, and Ethan just needed Zeena, so he wouldn’t be lonely. Elizabeth stopped the affair by firing Abigail. While, Zeena tried to but Ethan and Mattie tried to commit suicide so they wouldn’t have to live without each other; they just got injured making Zeena take care of Mattie. In the end of The Crucible, John dies because he wouldn’t admit to witchcraft. Earlier in the book, John confessed to his relationship with Abigail, but Abigail refused his acknowledgement of the affair. The judges called in Elizabeth to see if it was true because John said that she never lies. She lies to protect John when he needed her to tell the truth. If she would have told the truth, she could have saved his and many others lives. In the end of Ethan Frome, Zeena ends up taking care of Ethan and Mattie. Zeena pushed Ethan away

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