Starkfield is a small, agricultural town in Massachusetts that endures long and brutal winters. The winter months of Starkfield greatly affect the townspeople. The cold brings loneliness, and feelings of being trapped to the people of Starkfield, because they cannot travel through the brutal snow storms. Ethan, Zeena’s Husband, is affected by the winter month’s because he feels the isolation it brings. This in turn effects Zeena because she is neglected, and does not get any attention from Ethan. Zeena is known by everyone in town. Not only is Zeena known by everyone, her illnesses are known by everyone also. Mr. Hale once said “I don’t know anybody round here’s had more sickness then Zeena” (Wharton 78) Most of Zeena’s time is spent searching for cures, doctors, and procedures which will relieve her imagined sicknesses. Zeena was proposed too by Ethan after she had offered to nurse his sick mother back to health. Ethan enjoyed having the company of another person and felt that he was obligated to marry to Zeena because of her help. As time went on Zeena also became sick with …show more content…
Since I do not know much about Zeena’s past, but I have seen her interaction with her husband, and her cousin, I can say that in my professional opinion Zeena has Munchausen Syndrome because of neglect. Although Zeena shows the symptoms of the illness when she is alone, they seem to escalate when she is around Ethan. She also shares her illness’s with Ethan by saying things like “I have complications” (Wharton 88). Zeena shares with Ethan as a way to get him to acknowledge her, and when Ethan does not acknowledge her, she tries harder. Zeena has Munchausen syndrome because she shows many of the symptoms related to the illness, and I believe that it is a mechanism used by her to get attention from her family, and
Leupo, Kimberly. "The History of Mental Illness." The History of Mental Illness. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Nov. 2013.
Several Years after their marriage, cousin Mattie Silver is asked to relieve Zeena, who is constantly ill, of her house hold duties. Ethan finds himself falling in love with Mattie, drawn to her youthful energy, as, “ The pure air, and the long summer hours in the open, gave life and elasticity to Mattie.” Ethan is attracted to Mattie because she is the opposite of Zeena, while Mattie is young, happy, healthy, and beautiful like the summer, Zeena is seven years older than Ethan, bitter, ugly and sickly cold like the winter. Zeena’s strong dominating personality undermines Ethan, while Mattie’s feminine, lively youth makes Ethan fell like a “real man.” Ethan and Mattie finally express their feeling for each other while Zeena is visiting the doctor, and are forced to face the painful reality that their dreams of being together can not come true.
...ss for yourself because in the end, one will regret it. Ethan’s morals prevent him from leaving Starkfield to pursue and achieve his dreams. He cannot baffle the traditions of his town. After Zeena tries to "foist on him the cost of a servant", forcing Ethan to let go of Mattie, he chooses to “leave with Mattie”. However, he cannot go through with the plan because he cannot bear to leave Zeena alone with her sickness. He knows she would not be able to take care of herself and cannot afford her own medicine. It is inappropriate to leave his wife in this bad condition. Therefore Ethan chooses to live an unhappy life instead of deceive his family and friends. Wharton portrays that by following society’s standards they will lose their hope and end up living in misery. Ethan chose to embark the obstacles and in the end it ruined him to a life of unhappiness and failure.
...ical necessities and furthermore cannot trust any doctor anymore because people in Hopkins took her tissues and cells and exploited them.
Patient’s name is Molly Greenwell. She is a single non-Hispanic Caucasian Female. Molly is eighteen year old, with family background orientation of Italian culture. Molly does not work but she feels like she has enough stress surrounded around being a senior with a 4.0 GPA in an all-girls catholic school. She considers herself a shadow on the high school monarchy. This being said she feels like whatever she does, her parents are never happy enough. Having attended Italian school every Saturday, church and religion class every Sunday in the Roman Catholic Church; she feels like she has no friends. The one pleasure she does for herself is participate in a track team. Molly has two older brothers that tell her she is a piece of shit every day and she looks fat. Molly’s parents saying nothing has led to Molly feeling isolated in the family. Molly also has no mental health or dietary issues in her family history.
Only the ruthlessly devoted and heartless can make it to the top without feeling bad about who they knocked down to triumph. Ethan cant strive for a higher level of happiness because so many factors pull him down. To leave Starkfield with his love, Mattie, he would need more money than he can afford, and to get this he would be forced to lie and compromise his friendships. Ethan decides not to lie about a loan from the Hales, and in this decision he proves he cannot let go of his morals, because that would make him more miserable than he was to begin with. His conscience holds him back even more, as he is constantly reminded of what would become of Zeena if she was left alone to care for herself. His inescapable fate is foreshadowed by the gravestones that lie on his property, which echo the lifestyle he is obligated to live with Zeena in Starkf...
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