Ethan Frome Reflection

In the novel Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton, the main character, Ethan, is trapped in an unsatisfying life. He falls in love with his wife’s cousin and that leads to a depressing ending for everyone. But I understand that Edith Wharton had a tough time with marriage and love, and that reflects in her writing.

There are countless situations that can keep two people from being together, every romance movie ever made has proven that fact and it is impossible to recount all the obstacles fictional people must face. However, the most popular are: a class difference, financial struggle, a third party (ie: love triangle), or what I like to call the Spider-Man/Mary Jane conflict, where the hero walks away from the girl because he believes their relationship would make her a target for supervillains. All of these situations are utterly preposterous, because if you love somebody and they love you back the only obstacle in the way is yourself.

There is not a person to blame for Ethan and Mattie’s troubles, they simply met when it was too late, Ethan had already married. Ethan could not have known that his life with Zeena would be unsatisfactory. On the other hand, one could say that they themselves are the cause of their troubles. If they were prepared to

the concept of duty. Everyone has responsibilities in life, whether it be to a job, school, relationship, or family. However, we also have a duty to ourselves first, to ensure that we live the best life possible. So, it is our duty as well, to make certain that we find personal happiness, “at whatever price and no matter whom it hurts.” The concept of duty is not disappearing, it is simply evolving, to include our own mental satisfaction. Hopefully, what this means for the future of our world is that, individuals will put less stock in what society thinks of them and concern themselves instead with what they think of