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Mattie Silver: Protagonist. Mattie is Zeena’s cousin who moves in with her and Ethan who she shortly thereafter falls in love with.
'Zeena' Frome: Protagonist. Zeena is Ethan’s wife and they live a struggling and sad life. Despite every vile action acted against her she becomes the bigger person and takes care of Ethan and Mattie after their betrayal.
Ethan Frome: Protagonist. Ethan is a farmer in Starkfield and is often depressed. He meets Mattie and it's all downhill from there. He risked everything he had and loved to be with her and in the end he lived a more tragic life then he ever did before.
Setting: Ethan Frome takes place somewhere between 1890-the 1900s in a fictional town called Starkfield, Massachusetts. During this time period, the world was going through a depression and numerous advances in technology and production. Due to the depression, the unemployment rate was very high, limiting jobs, and keeping the poor, poor. This means education was a hard thing to achieve, and not to mention there were not many opportunities for women at the time.
Summary: Ethan Frome with his wife Zeena live a simple and pitiful life who battles to bring home the bacon. Ethan as a farmer in Starkfield Massachusetts and Zeena with her illnesses. Zeena's cousin, Mattie Silver comes to live with the couple but problems soon arise after Zeena's jealousy and curiosity with Mattie and Ethan’s relationship, where she then forces Mattie out of the house. One could call Ethan and Mattie’s relationship the failed version of Romeo and Juliet. They would sled down this hill some days and one particular day they both decide to end it and smash their sled. Both lived but were severely injured forever. Despite the betrayal upon Zeena, she ends up taking care of the two now that Mattie is unfit to care for herself, Ethan is more broke than he’s ever been and not to mention pretty badly deformed. It would seem like Ethan and Mattie got the short stick of the draw but truthfully it was Zeena.
Motifs: Love is what drives this story. Without it, this would just be another ordinary sad life of a farmer and his sick wife. Love is what makes Ethan give up what little he already had to be with a women that was forbidden to him. He was willing to give up his life for Mattie and vice versa. Although depression did play a big role in the development of the story but overall love is what caused these tragedies.
Literary Devices: The color Red is symbolized several times throughout this novel. Whether it’s Ethan’s scar, Mattie's scarf, or the famous pickle dish everyone talks about, the color red has great meaning to the characters. We often associate red with sin, danger (“red flags”) or lust. Ironically we’re shown all three of these actions take place at some point throughout the story, which obviously was Wharton’s objective.
Quotes: “It pleased Ethan to have surprised a pair of lovers on the spot where he and Mattie had stood with such a thirst for each other in their hearts, but he felt a pang at the thought that these two need not hide their happiness.” (4.26) This was Ethan realizing how easy it is for everyone else to be with the love of your life but not for him. He knew he was living a lie and from there he chose to live his truth.
“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.” (1.10) We realize how much Mattie truly loves and gets Ethan, more than Zeena ever had. She expresses how she feels him with every touch, word and glance at her. She’s completely consumed by him and vice versa.
“You're a bad girl, Mattie Silver, and I knew it. It's the way your father began, and I was warned of it when I took you, and I tried to keep my things where you couldn't get at 'em-and now you've took from me the one I cared for most of all-' (7.127) Here were shown how Zeena starts to notice the fling going on with Mattie and her husband. Understandably, her reaction is filled with jealousy and hatred and she even brings up the elephant in the room, Mattie’s father, which was intended to hurt her of course. This was basically Zeena’s attempt to warn Mattie to stay away from her husband.
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