Trials of Ethan Frome
Ethan Frome is a novel that was published in 1911 by the American author Edith Wharton. The story takes place in the fictitious town of Starkfield, Massachusetts. In addition, this paper is helpful to describe an American character from the novel Ethan Frome. For this paper I would like to select Ethan Frome as an American character.
Thesis Statement, “The actions that an individual perform are based on an endless pursuit of happiness and a prevention of sorrow. These actions may be rational as well as realistic.”
The protagonist of Edith Wharton’s novel Ethan Frome (1911) that is married to a whining hypochondriac but falls in love with her cousin, Mattie Silver. In this novel, introductory and concluding passages are expressed the narrator’s point of view and described Ethan Frome’s perspective and centers on Edith Wharton’s actions (Wharton, Edith). In addition, the other characters in the narrative remain opaque that are permitted access to all of Ethan’s thoughts and his way of life to approach a crisis.
This novel expressed that Ethan remains a frustrating main character. Frustration character is the uniquely American character and expresses the American spirit. Wharton’s novel underlines two themes that are the conflict between passion and social pattern, and a harsh winter climate can have the compressing effects on the human spirit. This situation indicates that Ethan had a passive nature, his unbearable existence as a poor farmer, unhappy victim of circumstance, affects that Starkfield’s frozen landscape places on his soul, and weighed down by his duty to his wife. The novel expressed that Ethan entire life dreams destroyed by circumstance. Moreover, his wife illness and his poverty crush his desire for wider horizons that he hopes to leave Starkfield and in his interest in chemistry and engineering (Wharton, Edith). These characters of Ethan indicate the unique characters of American farmers such as they faced unbearable existence as a poor farmer, unhappy victim of a harsh winter climate, affects that frozen landscape places on his soul, dreams destroyed by circumstance and their poverty crush his/her desire.
In addition to this, the novel shows that Ethan is a sensitive man, nature lover, decent person, but his strengths lack emotional nature mastered his by circumstances. In the situation of mad sled ride to disaster constitutes, he ultimate expression of passivity, but his only bold decision in the entire novel is unable to face the consequences of circumstances, so he commit suicide. These characters of Ethan indicates the American people unique characters such as sensitive man, nature lover, decent person, lack emotional nature, ultimate expression of passivity and passive nature (Singley, Carol J.). Generally, this novel presents the actual characters of American people these are expression of passivity, passive nature and lack emotional nature.
The climax of novel indicates the character of Mattie Silver cousin of Ethan wife’s these are impulsive, passionate or emotional, melodramatic young woman, more adolescent than adult, recklessness, shrewish, complaining, curmudgeonly and forget her childish delight in melodrama (Wharton, Edith). In addition, novel represented Mattie is the pretty, flighty, and slightly absentminded girl. These characters of Mattie Silver indicate the American girl or young women unique characters.
