It is an inherent desire of an individual to have wealth, contentment, and the satisfaction of being prosperous. However, a plethora of situations, such as economic class or societal standards, can induce oppression within an individual's life, impeding them from this fulfillment. In the novella, Ethan Frome, by Edith Wharton, the three preeminent characters of, Ethan, Zeena, and Mattie, present attributes of being oppressed as a result of their difficult socioeconomic and family situation, which leads to upheaval within their household. It can be asserted that as this story progresses the characters oppression increases as a they are presented with economic hardships, personal struggles, and family mistreatment that restricts them from achieving …show more content…
their goals. Overall, oppression is one of the more prominent themes implemented by the author as it can be seen in many different aspects. _____________________________________________________________________________________ Money can be considered an oppressive force within the novella because the Frome’s lack the necessary economic resources to support themselves, thus prohibiting them from reaching their dreams. It is made evident that Ethan did not choose to work tirelessly on a farm to support his family. The novella states, “He had always wanted to be an engineer, and to live in towns, where there were lectures and big libraries and ‘fellows doing things’”(Wharton 44). He and Zeena had plans to move to a city where they could be free of the farm, and live in a place where they could constantly be living. However, Ethan’s financial instability prohibited this dream, as his requirement to support his wife and her illness, made it impossible for him to leave Starkfield. To further explain, he had great difficulty selling the farm, and he needed it to provide his wife with the care she demanded. Zeena’s medical troubles not only restricted Ethan from achieving his dream of becoming an engineer, but it also prevented him from another pivotal dream of his, being with Mattie. The author wrote, “A moment ago he had wondered what he and Mattie were to live on when they reached the West; now he saw that he had not even the money to take her there”(Wharton 84). Ethan’s economic struggles are preventing him from leaving town with Mattie because he had no money to transport them west. Once again, it is made evident that because of the poverty endured by Ethan, he was being restricted to live in Starkfield. Money contributes to another oppressing force within the novella, the personal struggles the characters face, emanating from their lack of wealth. _____________________________________________________________________________________ Although, the characters struggle with oppression from their unfortunate family situation, their personal hardships also contribute to the oppression they undergo. Throughout the duration of the novella, Zeena is certain that she is the bearer of a worsening sickness. However, Ethan is skeptical of this, and as a result questions the prognosis the expensive doctors provide her with. The novella indicates this disagreement between the two individuals when it states, “Turning her head at this, she answered solemnly: ‘I'm a great deal sicker than you think’”(Wharton 68). Zeena, contains the belief that she is sick with a kidney disease, a main constraint endured by the characters because it not only provides Zeena with confinement to her home, but it also means that Ethan must work to take care of the farm and the house. Zeena’s sickness is not only an oppressive force acting upon her, but it results in her being oppressive or cruel to Mattie, who already struggled through many acts of misfortune within her young life. Before Mattie had gone to stay with the Frome’s she experienced many losses and an inability to survive on her own. The novella provides the reader with the following information, “Mattie, at twenty, was left alone to make her way on the fifty dollars obtained from the sale of her piano. For this purpose her equipment, though varied, was inadequate”(Wharton 37). This indicates that after losing both her father and her stepmother, Mattie had only a small amount of money, and limited skills to earn her the pay she required to be independent, thus forcing her to stay with the only relatives that would take her in. These following characteristics could be described as dictatorial because as seen again, her oppressive economic troubles, Mattie, was obligated to live within an oppressive town and family. The endurance of these personal struggles can not only negatively affect an individual's mental status, but can cause them to project their frustration onto a bystander. _____________________________________________________________________________________ The Frome family displays a myriad of characteristics which reinforce the notion that they intentionally fabricate an unstable relationship by making each other feel imprisoned within the household.
The ardent family bond that the reader is presented with in Ethan Frome, alludes to idea that the greatest oppression the characters face stems from this family dynamic. This is emphasized when the narrator says, “Yes, it’s pretty bad, seeing all three of them together”(Wharton 112). The narrator dictates, that he could distinguish the amount of hatred or negativity emitting from the characters, although he is not familiar with them. Throughout the duration of the novella the feeling of imprisonment grows stronger because Mattie and Ethan are dependent on Zeena, asserting that Zeena is the dominant force over them, putting upon them the greatest type of oppression that they can face. In addition to the oppression provided by each other, Zeena’s negative commentary suggest that the family can feel their freedom through making each other miserable. Furthermore, Zeena, as possibly the most oppressive character in the novella, displays this quality when her only enjoyment in life comes from making her husband or Mattie miserable. This is described by the author when she writes, “Other possibilities had been in him, possibilities sacrificed, one by one, to Zeena's narrow-mindedness and ignorance… She was a hundred times bitterer and more discontented than when he had married her: the one pleasure left her was to inflict pain on him”(Wharton 82). This reveals the true nature of Zeena, which is that she receives her enjoyment from the suffering of others.It also reveals that Ethan feels even more oppressed as he is young, and could of had more opportunities if it wasn't for her. This oppression seen within the family provides the reader with a more adequate understanding of the reason to support why these individuals have become more
despondent.
Ethan Frome, the main character in the book entitled Ethan Frome, by Edith Wharton, has many complex problems going on at the same time. His family has died and he has a wife that is continually sick, and the only form of happiness he has is from his wife's cousin Mattie. This, however, at times proves to be hard because of Ethan's wifes interference. Nothing seems to be going in Ethan's favor. One theme of the book is weakness of character; this is shown by Ethan’s marraige, his inability to stand up to his wife, and his involvement concerning the "accident."
He deals with her complaining, overpowering and demanding personality, and she acts like she is always ‘sick.’ However, he didn’t ignore his feelings for Mattie and he wasn’t strong enough to run away and escape. When he was planning to run away with Mattie, he had to go get money from Mr. Andrew so they could run away but on his way there he met Mrs. Andrew. She told Ethan, “I always tell Mr. Hale I don’t know what she’d ‘a’ [Zeena] done if she hadn’t ‘a’ had you to look after her… You’ve had an awful mean time, Ethan Frome” (Wharton 104). After Mrs. Andrew tells this to Ethan, he doesn’t go ask for Mr. Andrew to pay him and instead goes home. He feels ashamed for for making Mr. Andrew get the money he needs because last time Ethan asked for the money, Mr. Andrew couldn’t get it. He also feels guilty for hurting his friends and he doesn’t want to leave Zeena with nothing when he runs away with Mattie. This displays again, how Ethan is a weak
She states that, “In many instances, anti-immigrant racism today camouflages itself and goes mainline in self-presentation, which is precisely my point about Ethan Frome.” Ammon’s strongly advocates the stance that it is vital for racism in Ethan Frome and similar works to be revealed and thoroughly examined as it is this literature that unmasks the extent of white anxieties in the United States. Bernard, in a stark contrast, proposes that the heart of the novel is the weakness of Frome’s character as well as his “negation of life.” He argues that the language usage in Ethan Frome is unparalleled and allows the reader to closely read and understand the point of Wharton’s work. In order to make this understanding easier on the audience, Bernard breaks down the complex ideas and symbols represented in Ethan Frome into simple, easy to digest concepts. Step-by-step, he goes through Wharton’s integration of symbolism and imagery, two elements of fiction, and the motives behind their usage. Through his breakdown of symbolism and imagery into three components, he provides a clearer insight into the mind of Wharton and the purpose of her work, while Ammons solely focuses on the racism in Ethan Frome. Although she dissects the novel as well, she also supports her analysis using previous works authored by Wharton to prove the racist perspective of Ethan Frome. This is evident as it is present in
The book says, “His wife had never shown any jealousy of Mattie, but of late she had grumbled increasingly over the house-work and found oblique ways of attracting attention to the girl 's inefficiency(Wharton, chpt 1).” This means Zeena knew about the love affair. Because Ethan and Zeena did not honestly love each other, the affair did not bother Zeena. Eventually, though, Zeena wants to force Mattie to go back home. Ethan and Mattie are extremely devastated by this. Ethan is not in love with either girl, but cannot leave either one. What happened next was a sleigh riding accident. Ethan purposely drove a sled into a tree hoping to kill Mattie and himself. By doing this he could escape all his responsibilities. He would not be abandoning anyone technically. The immaturity in Ethan 's personality is shown through this event. The accident caused Ethan and Zeena to be obligated to care for Mattie for the rest of their lives. Because the accident was intentional Ethan should be held accountable for it. He was supposed to be a mature adult who made the right decisions. He failed at this. Ethan should have been put in jail for this mishap. Moreover, Mattie did die that day because her liveliness
Ethan Frome is the main character of Edith Wharton’s tragic novel. Ethan lives the bitterness of his youth’s lost opportunities, and dissatisfaction with his joyless life and empty marriage. Throughout the story Ethan is trapped by social limits and obligations to his wife. He lives an unhappy life with many responsibilities and little freedom. Ethan Frome studied science in college for a year and probably would have succeeded as an engineer or physicist had he not been summoned home to run the family farm and mill. Ethan quickly ended his schooling and went to run the family farm and mill because he feels it is his responsibility. He marries Zeena after the death of his mother, in an unsuccessful attempt to escape silence, isolation, and loneliness. Ethan also feels the responsibility to marry Zeena as a way to compensate her for giving up part of her life to nurse his mother. After marring Zeena he forgets his hope of every continuing his education and he is now forced to remain married to someone he does not truly love.
Many people oppose society due to the surroundings that they face and the obstacles that they encounter. Set in the bleak winter landscape of New England, Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton is the story of a poor, lonely man, his wife Zeena, and her cousin Mattie Silver. Ethan the protagonist in this novel, faces many challenges and fights to be with the one he really loves. Frome was trapped from the beginning ever since Mattie Silver came to live with him and his wife. He soon came to fall in love with her, and out of love with his own wife. He was basically trapped in the instances of his life, society’s affect on the relationship, love, poverty, illness, disability, and life.
He is physically isolated from the world and is also cut off from the possibility of any relationship. Due to his new situation, he looks for an outlet in order to relieve himself from this isolation. Luckily enough for him, Mattie comes around in order to help Zeena out due to her illness. Wharton writes, “...the coming to his house of a bit hopeful young life was like the lighting of a fire under a cold heart” (Wharton 33). As Smith recognizes in this comparison, he says that “His (Ethan) life of isolation changes, however, when Mattie Silver comes to stay with him and his wife” (Smith 96). Smith correctly analyzes Ethan’s situation, labeling Mattie as this outlet of hope that he can turn to in order to cope with his isolation. Wharton herself shows that Ethan truly did view Mattie as his outlet for hope, mainly due to his love for her, which Mattie shares equally for him. This love sprouts from many things including attractiveness, conversation, understanding, and listening, many of which he lacks for his whole life and where most of his isolation roots itself. Wharton writes, “She had an eye to see and an ear to hear: he could show her things and tell her things, and taste the bliss of feeling that all he imparted left long reverberations and echoes he could wake at will” (Wharton 28). This is a fancy way of saying that they Mattie not only listened to Ethan, but also
Based on how I was raised, I was angry that Ethan liked another while his own wife struggled with her own health. I thought he could do more to help his wife. The quote shocked me, I didn’t think of Zeena like that. I thought of her as a sickly, caring wife. I was wrong and this section gave me a new version of what was happening.
When Zeena was there while Ethan's mother was ill to "nurse her", she gave him the "human speech" he longed for because his mother had "lost the power of speech." Ethan felt that he would be "dreadful" if "left alone" if Zeena were to leave him, so he ended up marrying her so she would stay. Ethan is unable to make decisions without thinking of her first or being reminder that she's the one he is loyal to because of this attachment. Even having blissful moments with Mattie, Ethan cannot rid his mind of Zeena. While having supper, the cat "jumped between them into Zeena's empty chair" and when reminded of Zeena, Ethan was "paralyzed." Ethan is happy when with Mattie, but his love for her will never rid him from Zeena. Ethan was even planning o asking the Hales for currency, but the thought of "leaving alone" his "sickly woman" led him to desert his plan in taking money to leave Zeena by herself. This shows that even in his desire to escape her, Ethan values their marriage and is still thinking of her greater good. Ethan's happiness resides in Mattie to the point where he was willing to kill himself to be with her forever, however, midway through the attempt, "his wife's face, with twisted monstrous ligaments, thrusts itself between him and his goal." Due to Zeena showing herself to Ethan near death, he "swerved in response" which may have caused the attempt to fail. This scene demonstrates how Ethan, even when
While everyone is legally intitled to the pursuit of happiness, the truth of the matter is that very few ever achieve it. Ones morals, standards, conscious, or perhaps even fate, keep them from accepting a pure form of satisfaction. While a person can search and struggle their entire life for happiness, the truth of the matter is, that they will never be happy with what they have infront of them. The character Ethan, portrayed in Edith Whartons novel, Ethan Frome, is emotionally weak, he battles constantly with what he wants, how to get it, and what is ethically right. Ethan was obligated to care for his wife Zeena until death, but his misguided decisions lead him to be concerned only with his immediate happiness. Much like Ethan in Ethan Frome, people who concentrate on personal happiness, without factoring in personal responsibility, set themselves up for a painful reality check.
Ethan quickly realized that this marriage with her wouldn’t give him the sense of happiness that he wanted, but instead made Ethan feel even more alone and even less happy than he was after his mom had died “.makes him feel further removed from happiness.” (Hoffman). This situation furthers once Mattie arrives at the Frome household and Zeena begins to isolate herself in her room, complaining that she is sick and needs bed rest. This sense of isolation is especially shown when the Narrator tries to talk to Ethan and gain more details about his life, but Ethan won’t talk “, he has trouble obtaining further details. Ethan’s isolation is evident in their conversation.”
Although when we are young, we commonly find ourselves gravitating to books with predictable endings that leave the protagonist and us with what we want, as we mature we develop a hunger for different, more thoughtful or realistic solutions. This is not to say, however, that we can be satisfied solely through the reading of any story that concludes with mere tragedy. The reason why the book Ethan Frome is so widely read is because there is a great deal of technique behind the element of mere tragedy. Edith Wharton is able to distinguish her novel through the use of irony. Irony has been the defining element of many great pieces of literature throughout time. The use of irony dates back all the way to ancient Greece when it was used by Sophocles in the play Oedipus Rex. Irony was also a key element in many of Shakespeare's works and appears in many famous short stories. In Ethan Frome, Ethan ends up falling in love with Mattie who at the time seems young and effervescent in comparison to his sickly, deteriorating wife. In attempting to free himself and Mattie from his commitment to Zeena, Ethan ends up causing Mattie to become paralyzed, taking with it her previous, lively characteristics. All the household responsibilities then fall into the hands of Zeena who is ultimately the most vivacious of the three.
In Edith Wharton’s Ethan Frome, there is a prevalent conflict of class struggles. Ethan Frome, his wife Zeena, and their maid Mattie all live in extreme poverty. Wharton portrays them as miserable beings, seemingly always encompassed in misfortune. Wharton herself, however, lived a near opposite life compared to that of her characters. She was born into fortune; money was rarely a concern for her (Lee). Through a Marxist lens, one could argue that Edith Wharton, a woman of extreme wealth and privilege, would characterize lower, working class people such as the ones in Ethan Frome in an inaccurately dismal light. The consistent image of winter and coldness, typically associated with misery, in Ethan Frome foreshadows an unhappy ending for the
In the novel Ethan Frome, Edith Wharton creates an interesting plot revolving around two star-crossed lovers. Unfortunately, there is only one important thing that gets in the way of these lovers, a wife who’s a hypochondriac. Zeena, the wife, finds herself in a particular situation, a situation where she needs to figure out how to get rid of Mattie. She tries everything to get rid of her, especially her illness, using it as an excuse to get what she wants, oppressing Ethan’s desires and needs. Despite her malicious actions, she creates a justifiable reasoning of her intent. In Ethan Frome, Edith Wharton creates a psychological response in regards to Zeena. Rather than being depicted as the villain of the novel, Zeena is merely the victim of
How long can you sit on the fence and not get involved? How long before you're forced to choose sides? Thomas Fowler learns the answers to this dilemma the hard way.