The Broken Jar
In the novel Ethan Frome, the main character has to choose between his wife, Zeena, and Mattie. After his wife leaves Mattie and him alone for the night, Mattie uses the red pickle dish which wounds up getting broken by the cat that night. Is this a symbol? Symbolism is when an object is used to mean something other than its original meaning. WIth all the events that happened before and after the glass breaking, it is obvious that the broken dish symbolizes Ethan and Zeena’s marriage. Zenna failed to keep her marriage happy and unbroken, while Ethan tried to live a lie.
The pickle dish was one of Zeena's most valuable possessions. Zeena received this gift the day her and Ethan became wedded as one. “it was a wedding present-don’t you remember? It came all the way from Philadelphia...that’s why she wouldn’t ever use it” (Wharton 32). This quote shows how Mattie truly understood the severity of the situation. Ethan, on the other hand, took the situation light heartedly showing that he little to no type of feeling for the dish. He could barely remember where it even came from. As the broken pieces laid there, ts seemed that Ethan's life had crashed before his eyes. He could be
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Zeena had a sort of authority over Ethan which is given the perspective of the cat. The cat in this novel seemed resemble Zeena to a great extent. Both the cat and Zeena have very slick, sly, and destructive behaviors. “The cat backs into the pickle dish and it falls to the floor with a crash,” ( Wharton 32) “then jumped into Zeena's chair, rolled itself into a ball, and lay watching them [Ethan and Mattie] with narrowed eyes.” (Wharton 34) These quotes demonstrate that although Zeena ruined the marriage, for some reason she wanted to keep Ethan around. The meaning behind this symbol stands to illustrate that Zeena is solely responsible for the distance that has been created between her and her
With Zeena gone Mattie and Ethan use a particular red glass pickle dish. Later to be shattered and broken by the cat. Zeena eventually comes home and finds out about the broken dish as well as
In the book Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton multiple objects are used to represent big moments in the book and is heavily used. There are many objects that clearly relate to people and relationships between people. The first emblem that represents love between Mattie and Ethan is Mattie's red scarf and ribbon in her hair. The first symbol is the pickle dish representing Ethans and Zeena’s relationship. The final commodity is the cat which represents Zeena.
This departure leaves Ethan alone with Mattie in his house. Even while the two are becoming closer falling for one another, and with Zeena gone, their love is still interupted by Ethan's cat knocking over the plate of pickles. This is symbolic because the cat embodies Zeena as she refuses to allow Ethan and Mattie's relationship to relish and bloom. The cat is constantly around the two, monitoring their every move, which can portray Zeena secretly knowing about the relationship they have with one another. This symbol advances the work because this action of Zeena (the cat) can portray her distrust of her husband which leads to later conflicts in the story, such as telling Mattie that she does not need her contributions any longer and removes her from her
Clearly, it’s reasonable to conclude Mattie shares a deep passion for Ethan, but that does not mean Mattie is pleased with her responsibility for the problems she has caused. Zeena and Ethan are bestowed with many complications and difficult circumstances that mostly relate to Mattie. The pickle plate cracking into pieces manifests Mattie’s realization that she’s a reason for the death of a marriage...and like most people, no one wants to place them self in that kind of circumstance. When Mattie witnesses arguments Zeena and Ethan discreetly undergo, she loses a sense of pride that she once shared within herself. Furthermore, the fragmented dish symbolizes Mattie’s saddening awareness that Zeena does not fancy her.
Before Mattie used the dish, it was in the china closet never being used. This could symbolize Ethan and Zeena’s relationship before Mattie. It wasn’t really love that got them married. They never showed their love for each other in the story. The dish symbolizes how their relationship was never really ‘used.’
A long time resident of Starkfield, the protagonist Ethan Frome shows he is considerate by caring for and helping others. He first shows this trait when he gives up his desire to live in a city to support his ill mother. Though he has a strong wish to leave Starkfield, he respects his duty and cares for his mother. Ethan also shows this attribute to Zeena, by looking after her and contributing to her medicine while she also falls ill. Zeena is again thought of by Ethan when the pickle dish breaks.
Ethan flirted with Mattie and would try his hardest to impress her, for example, he began shaving his face everyday which he never used to do for Zeena. These inappropriate actions caused chaos within the household. Ethan began to lust over Mattie, wanting to spend as much
Ethan’s initial response is to attempt to simply piece back the pickle dish with glue. The use of glue or “the easy route” to fix the broken pickle dish so Zeena won’t discover the accident, symbolizes Ethan’s thought process to try repairing their loveless relationship. Furthermore, Ethan is afraid to even tell Zeena that the dish has broken which shows the lack of communication and understanding in their relationship. Zeena’s response is much more dramatic, by intensely accusing Mattie of not only breaking her most prized possession, but also threatening her husband and their marriage. Zeena’s anger and resentment over the broken pickle dish actually illustrates her sorrow over her broken and unfulfilling marriage.
This same process repeated with Zeena. When she got sick, he began to feel lonely and fell in love with Mattie. This also would not have happened if Zeena didn’t get sick and stop talking with Ethan.
The author used symbolism throughout the whole story to show the difference between these characters. The symbolism is there to give us a further explanation on the family and also to tell us how much heritage is important to some, but not others. The first symbol
Mattie is panicked and worried when the pickle dish is knocked over and destroyed by the cat, and 3. Ethan is trying to figure a way out to repair or get a new pickle dish. Each of these represent different parts of Ethan and Zeena’s marriage and the relationship between the three characters. In Ethan Frome, the pickle dish is kept up high on the shelf so that nobody can get to it.
Forcing Mattie to leave is Zeena’s desperate attempt at solving the love triangle. Zeena hoped that Mattie leaving would guide Ethan and Zeena back to their original relationship without distractions. However, Zeena could not have anticipated that the lovers’ prospective separation is needed for them to confess their feelings for each other and the culmination of the painful saga. The story comes to a climax when Mattie says “we’d never have to leave each other any more” referring to their suicide and unity in death (Wharton 63). Ethan agrees to her solution and the problem of their living apart is solved.
In Edith Wharton’s novel, Ethan Frome, setting plays an important role. The novel takes place in the fictional town of Starkfield, Massachusetts, in the winter and most likely during the early 1900s, a time better known as the Progressive Era. The Progressive Era brought about change and innovation in many areas, such as education and transportation. This change doesn’t really occur in Starkfield, however. Due to poor transportation, the residents of Starkfield become stuck during the harsh winter, and the majority of the rest of the year in this isolated town.
Ethan’s bad choices of leaving school, feeling lonely and marrying Zeena and then also being avoidant when he wants to leave her. Obviously, Ethan Frome’s tragedy is all caused by his personal decisions. One of many ignorant choices Ethan makes is when his mother gets ill, somewhere in the beginning of the story. During this time, Ethan dropped out of college.
The dish was a wedding present given to the married couple. The shattering of the dish symbolizes the death of their marriage. In relation to the theme, the dish shatters during a romantic dinner between Ethan and Mattie, this ties in with morals. Ethan Frome obviously wasn't preoccupied with his crumbling marriage. To Zeena, the shattering of the dish meant the end of their marriage “[Zeena] picked up the bits of broken glass she went out of the room as of she carried a dead body.”