ipl-logo

Theme Of Fate In Ethan Frome

1008 Words5 Pages

John Fernandez
Survey American Lit.
3/15/23
The Fates of the main characters in the story Ethan Frome are not deserved but happen because of the choices they make. Ethan Frome and his Lover Mattie silver find themselves in a failed suicide pact and end up having to be taken care of by Ethan's wife Zeena for the rest of their lives.

Zeena Fate in the story is she has to take care of Ethan and Mattie after their failed suicide. Zeena doesn’t deserve but caused her fate was she didn’t know that Ethan and Mattie were trying to kill themselves because it would have been better than living apart from each other. If Zeena knew that they were trying to kill themselves she wouldn’t have been so willing to take care of them after the accident. The …show more content…

They both ended up surviving but needed to be taken care of which Zeena provided. Another reason Zeena doesn’t deserve her fate is that she was forced to marry Ethan as payment for taking care of his parents.

The fate of Mattie Silver in the book Ethan Frome is that she is paralyzed from the neck down and needs help from another person most if not all the time. “When I came in she turned her head quickly toward me, without the least corresponding movement of her body.” page 66 One reason Mattie doesn’t deserve her fate is that she was forced to go live with Ethan and Zeena because both her parents had died and she had barely any money because her dad was an investor before his death. …show more content…

Both Ethan and Mattie got seriously injured in their failed suicide which is undeserved. One reason Ethan’s fate was undeserved was that he had to leave college early to go help his dying dad. “His father's death, and the misfortunes following it, had put a premature end to Ethan's studies.” page 11 His dad's death leads to his mom dying. Ethan being left all alone lead him to marry the only person around Zeena who had been taking care of his mom. Ethan's marriage with Zeena was a very poor decision by the two, they both were unhappy with the relationship they had but Zeenas parents thought that it was the least he could do for taking care of his mom. “Yes; and my folks all told me at the time you couldn't do no less than marry me after” page 42 Another choice that led to Ethan's fate was that of deciding to not let Jotham Powell take Mattie to the train station and do it himself. “I want you should stay here this afternoon, Ethan,” his wife said. “Jotham can drive Mattie over.” Mattie flung an imploring glance at him, but he repeated curtly: “I'm going to drive her over myself.” page 56 This decision led Ethan to take Mattie sledding. Ethan dividing to go sledding with Mattie was the final big decision that he decided to make that caused his fate. During sledding, Both characters decided that life wasn’t worth living if they weren’t

Show More
Related

  • Ethan Frome Character Analysis

    525 Words  | 3 Pages

    Ethan Frome’s mother becoming ill was the first step toward the destiny that would keep Ethan in Starkfield forever. This destiny required his wife, Zeena, to become sick as well. It was necessary for Ethan to remain there since it would lead him to meet Mattie Silver, who would push him even closer to his fated downfall. Ethan, Zeena, and Mattie’s destinies were tangled together because of the conjoined circumstances that surrounded the three of them.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Sacrifice In Wharton's Ethan

    399 Words  | 2 Pages

    As her young brown head detached itself against the patchwork cushion that habitually framed his wife’s gaunt countenance, Ethan had a momentary shock.” (46). Ethan's last thought before the sled hits the elm tree is that he sees a disfigured of Zeena's face. Therefore Ethan has a burning thought of Zeena suck in his

    Read More

  • Color And Symbolism In Ethan Frome By Edith Wharton

    204 Words  | 1 Pages

    Throughout the novel, Wharton juxtaposes Ethan's feelings for Mattie and Zeena through

    Read More

  • Characteristics Of Ethan Frome

    1300 Words  | 6 Pages

    At first the reader is drawn to Ethan’s love of his ailing father, and his mother, eventually even his own wife in their constant care. Ethan is represented as a fairly loving man, and this is only emboldened when the story steers toward the subject of Mattie Silver. Ethan displays an almost endless capacity of love for her on the minutest of details. He takes on the responsibilities of the house chores as he realizes that Mattie is simply not able physically to do so, on top of his own chores. He even takes up driving her the miles to town on an almost daily basis in addition to all of his already mounting responsibilities.

    Read More

  • Symbolism In Ethan Frome

    737 Words  | 3 Pages

    Ethan found out his mother was going to die and instantly panicked. He saw Zeena was going to leave and with the fear of being alone in the harsh winter he asked her to

    Read More

  • Isolation In Ethan Frome By Edith Wharton

    650 Words  | 3 Pages

    In Ethan Frome, many of the character's mental state is in an unfortunate place because of the situations they are in and their surroundings. One example is Ethan being mentally tired of Zeena. Ethan's mental state is in such a poor place that he thinks Zeena is the problem. Ethan states, “She had taken everything else from him; and now she meant to take the one thing that made up for all the others” (72). In this statement, Ethan feels Mattie is his happiness and that Zeena is trying to take his happiness away.

    Read More

  • Theme Of Sympathy In Ethan Frome

    675 Words  | 3 Pages

    Ethan is vexed with acquiescing to Zeena's requests, which starts the original attention toward Mattie. After Zeena expresses all her frustration towards Mattie about the broken pickle dish, Mattie knows that Ethan will interfere but does not want him to. Mattie describes this through a note to Ethan, which gives him a "strange new sense of her nearness; yet it deepened his anguish by reminding him that henceforth they would have no other way of communication with each other" (55). Ethan now starts to feel closer to Mattie, realizing that he will not be able to communicate with Mattie in the future, further reducing Zeena's importance to Ethan. There have also been rumors about Dennis Eady supposedly marrying Mattie, which Ethan and Zeena had been stressing about.

    Read More

  • The Importance Of Irrational Decisions In Ethan Frome

    836 Words  | 4 Pages

    Throughout the novel “Ethan Frome”, many of the characters made irrational decisions. Quite a few of which impacted their daily life, for example Ethan’s decision to marry Zeena. Once Mattie moved into their home to carry out the housework Zeena was unable to complete due to her debilitating illness, Ethan developed feelings for her which only led to more chaos in their household. Their love blossomed into a greater intimacy than Ethan and Zeena’s marriage ever was. Not thinking logically, they pursued each other in the same house as Ethan’s wife.

    Read More

  • What Is Ethan Frome Internal Conflict

    708 Words  | 3 Pages

    Later on in the story, a “smash up” happened. It is a sledding “accident” but really it’s a suicidal attempt by Ethan and Mattie because they realize they will never be able to get together in this world. During the attempt, Ethan pulls away. “But suddenly his wife face, with twisted with monstrous lineaments, thrust himself between him and his goal”(Wharton 20). This quote shows the internal conflict going on with Ethan.

    Read More

  • Similarities Between Ethan Frome And The Great Gatsby

    427 Words  | 2 Pages

    Ethan was describing his love when he stated, “Ethan stood looking at her, his heart in his throat. He wanted to say: “We shall never be alone again like this.” (Wharton Ch.6 2). Ethan has a deep affection towards Mattie and her presence is his idea of joy and he’s nervous. Unlike Daisy, Ethan can clearly know who and what he

    Read More

  • Zeena's Faulty Actions In Ethan Frome By Edith Wharton

    480 Words  | 2 Pages

    Ethan Frome, the story of a man with a difficult romantic triangle between his wife and her cousin constructed by Edith Wharton. The tragic outcome of the story was slowly created throughout the story due to the faulty actions of Zeena. Some of which fell under the categories of playing pity games, attention seeking exertions, and improper/poor decision making within the entire story. I believe without the faulty acts taken by Zeena within the relationship and close surrounding subjects between herself and Ethan, there would have never been a “seed” to sprout from. Throughout the story Zeena played plenty of pity games giving Ethan more motive to feel uneasy in regards to their relationship fundamentals.

    Read More

  • Ethan Frome Quotes

    984 Words  | 4 Pages

    Mattie, Zeena and Ethan were all responsible for their own actions which resulted in them getting what they deserved. Ethan Frome was a young, 28 year old man, who lived in Starkfield, Massachusetts and was married to Zenobia Frome. Zeena helped care for Ethan’s mother when she was dying, which is how they got to know each other. After the death of his mother, Ethan began

    Read More

  • Ethan Frome Literary Analysis

    738 Words  | 3 Pages

    Both Zeena and Ethan have varying responses, however both showing some commitment to repair their union. In Ethan Frome, Edith Wharton utilizes a broken pickle dish, to represent the views of espousement, and the representation of their varied human actions. Ethan and Zeena Frome’s marriage represents a union based on obligation rather that love. Throughout the story, Ethan is a weak and submissive husband under the control of a domineering wife.

    Read More

  • Ethan Frome: A Personal Tragedy

    550 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Theme Of Naturalism In Ethan Frome

    734 Words  | 3 Pages

    This shows Ethan is having a very rough life because of natural forces. Later in the story, Ethan and Mattie find themselves alone again. They were going to go coasting, but it was too dark. In chapter 5 Ethan states: “No, I didn’t forget; but it’s as dark as Egypt outdoors.

    Read More

More about Theme Of Fate In Ethan Frome

Open Document