When analyzing the characters in any novel, the reader seeks to understand the influences in which shape how the character lives their life and the choices in which they make and why. The psychoanalytical and biographical approach is brought forward in the text based on the experiences in which Wharton has experienced throughout her life. […]
Set in the early twentieth century, Ethan Frome was a novella written by Edith Wharton, the first woman to win a Pulitzer Prize for Literature. Edith Wharton’s paternal family, the Joneses, were a wealthy and socially affluent family. As a result she was well educated (Wharton iv). Her novella, Ethan Frome, was a representation of […]
Our editors will help you fix any mistakes and get an A+!
Get startedEdith Wharton’s Ethan Frome is a sophisticated period piece which places the reader in a poignant era of American history during the turn of the 20th century. Published in 1911, Ethan Frome can be considered a historical document that reflects the growing ideologies that came about as a result of the Progressive Era, in which […]
Deserts can be either hot or cold, but all are barren and hostile, much like society can be and much like Edith Wharton’s fictional town of Starkfield, the setting of her novel, Ethan Frome. Wharton’s iconic novel, Ethan Frome follows a tragic hero caught between the conventions of society and his own happiness. The tragedy […]
Throughout Ethan Frome, there is a consistent feel of limitation on Ethan, Zeena, and Mattie. The author, Edith Wharton, creates many restrictions that limits how much the characters do. There are many different scenarios of limitations such as the shortness of money that the Frome’s have, Zeena’s sickness and depression, the marriage of Ethan and […]
Starkfield, Massachusetts during the early eighteen-hundreds is a dull and uneventful place. The winter season in general has been known to be very depressing with a lack of vitamin D and being more restricted to indoor activities. In the novel, Ethan Frome, by Edith Wharton, Ethan is affected greatly by the impacts of the long, […]
In the book Ethan Frome, the narrator follows the story of an old, crippled man in town named Ethan Frome. He lives on the outskirts of the city with his wife, Zeena, and her paralyzed cousin, Mattie. The story then flashes back to 24 years ago, when Ethan was taking care of sick, grumpy Zeena […]
Moral Ambiguity is defined as a lack of clarity about whether something is right or wrong, according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, this is often attractive to readers as they find them easier to relate to because a morally ambiguous person shows inconsistency in their morals. It is uncommon that someone would have consistent morals in […]
William Hurt Ms. McIntosh American Literature Honors 18 December 2018 , the main character in Edith Wharton’s most well-known work, Ethan Frome, is an incredibly complex and emotional character that we are able to unravel throughout the novella through the use of symbolism by the author. Wharton incorporates aspects of forbidden love, isolation, and even […]
In Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton, the story of Ethan Frome’s life leading to his present circumstances is evaluated by the narrator, a man trapped in Starkfield, Massachusetts due to one of the area’s infamous storms. When discussing Ethan, the narrator proclaims, Guess he’s been in Starkfield too many winters. Most of the smart ones […]
