TS #1: Because Zeena became ill; Ethan was forced to care for all of her needs. Zeena relied on Ethan for everything and was nothing but discourteous to him. This caused Ethan to keep his feelings bottled up because he could not share them with Zeena.
TS #2: From a geographical standpoint, Ethan is lives in the town of Starkfield. This town is isolated from the bigger, surroding cities and the climate is very harsh. This makes Ethan feel distanced from all other humans and have a gloomy outlook on life due to that it is always cold and cloudy.
TS #3: Throughout Ethan’s childhood he lived with his sick mother who would rarely speak to him. He was raised as a very quiet, voiceless child and this carried over into his adult hood. This is showed throughout the novel because although he only has few interactions with outsiders, he is very shy and keeps the conversation to a minimal.
Describing Ethan’s personal life, Mrs. Hale indicates that because of Mattie and Zeena’s brittle relationship, Ethan has become introverted. The constant bickering has worn him down.
“And Zeena, she was always cranky. Not but what she bears with Mattie wonderful- I've seen that myself. But sometimes the two of them get going at each other, and then Ethan's face'd break your heart... When I see that, I think it's him that suffers most... anyhow” (Wharton 140)
Ethan’s introverted personality, as Mrs. Hale says is a result of Mattie and Zeena’s relationship that consists of uneasy feelings amongst the both of them. She says that one can see how it truly affects Ethan by his facial expressions, they show how he is feeling and it is upsetting. Because they have disagreements so frequently, Ethan does not feel that he can share his feelings with either of them. This makes him bottle up his emotions inside that he cannot express with anyone else. Ethan feels isolated from the world because of his surroundings. Starkfield is a very small and scattered town and because Ethan’s only interactions are with those two, he feels distanced. Mattie and Zeena’s relationship causes Ethan to feel certain ways and these feelings cause him to become an introvert.
You May Also Find These Documents Helpful
-
The story about Ethan’s mother and the backstory seems inconsistent. First he dreams about a drunken mother (suggest cutting the dream), who seems to resent that he looks like his father, and then he tells Holly his mother just simply disappeared. In reality, this is a subplot that doesn’t really provide any emotional response. It takes away from the Ethan and Holly story.…
- 1859 Words
- 8 Pages
Good Essays -
In Ethan Frome, by Edith Wharton, Ethan and Zeena take different meanings to the intentions of the other as Zeena is leaving for the doctor’s office; in this, Zeena perceives her husband as lazy while he was advancing other romances, whereas Ethan sees his wife as repetitive as she is trying to compromise civilly.…
- 561 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
Ethan’s mind is being pulled in two directions and he battles between his love for Mattie and his duty to his wife. When Ethan’s mother got sick, Zeena came to help take care of her. Ethan like the feeling of companionship with someone, so when his…
- 685 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
Soon after Ethan returns from war, his family has been savagely murdered by Indians. But the hope that Debbie has made it out alive remains. The next few years of Ethan's life are spent searching aimlessly through the dessert for any sign of his niece. Finally, Debbie is found but feels little need to be rescued by Ethan. But with no regard to the way she feels, Ethan takes her out of the life she has become accustomed to and restores Debbie to her old society. Similarly enough, one night on the job, Travis sees a young girl named Iris, who is no older than fourteen, working the streets just as well as any other prostitute. Throughout the rest of the film, Travis does his best to save her from the pimp that has been running her life ever since she ran away from home. Quite like The Searchers, Iris never hints at wanting to stop the life she's living. The sexual corruption she has faced has made it almost impossible for her to return to the life of a teenager with no force. Even so, Travis devotes the next few weeks of his life to rescuing Iris from his version of hell. Although neither woman feels like the men's intervention in their lives was necessary, society looks at both men as heroes and their actions are awarded with much…
- 913 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
She realizes her husband is using deception which is when we intentionally encode messages that encourage information or beliefs that are contrary to the truth (Burgoon, Guerrero, & Manusov, 2011). Sometimes we feel we have to be deceptive to our significant others for them to see us the same way even if we are not. Jake realizes that he has screwed up his marriage and is continuously trying to communicate with Elle.…
- 740 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
The bleak, snow filled landscape, is a factor in many internal conflicts. The wintry imagery is so overwhelming and oppressive, as snow, ice, and cold are constantly being used to describe the setting. One characteristic of Ethan is that he is indecisive. Throughout the book, he will begin to attempt what he wants, but will not follow through with it. This can be tied back to the bleak and oppressive setting, in which Ethan’s desires are suppressed, due to the fact that the coldness and stark features of the town drain the energy out of people, including Ethan. This constant conflict between what he wants, versus what he believe is ethical or possible, is one example of an internal conflict.…
- 604 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
Brent finds her in the woods behind Hawksfell, and they talk. He confesses to loving someone who will never love him. She comforts him, and they share passion. When Elliot’s attraction to Brent intensifies, they make…
- 300 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
The novel Ethan From by Edith Wharton tells the story of Ethan From and the tragedy he faces in his life. The story mainly focuses on the relationships between and among Ethan, his wife, and his wife’s cousin, with whom he is in love. Wharton uses different literary devices to develop the plot, including irony as one of the most effective. The use of irony in the novel, especially in the climatic sledding scene, greatly adds to the development of the tragedy.…
- 725 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
Ethan From is the main character of Edith Wharton's tragic novel. Ethan lives the bitterness of his youth's lost opportunities, and dissatisfaction with his joyless life and empty marriage. Throughout the story Ethan is trapped by social limits and obligations to his wife. He lives an unhappy life with many responsibilities and little freedom.…
- 716 Words
- 3 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
“Oh Josie is a wonderful and social friend to talk and fun to play with. She talks open-mindedly and truthfully, listens to what other people says and replies back with respect” says Sera, one of Josie’s best friends. Sera is the only person from school that has the same nationality as Josie. “Because we have the same ancestry we have a thin bond, we always have most of situations and attitudes in common like when we greet each other how we talk to each other and hate each other”, she laughs.…
- 805 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
Ethan started out in the world with an ambition for a college degree and to become an engineer. His father died and his mother had fallen ill. He was forced to go home to Starkfield, Massachusetts and abandon his place at college. This incident started the chain reaction of the life of Ethan Frome. As time continues, we see a pattern of sickness and misery. His wife got sick after taking care of his mother, then Mattie became disabled after coming in to take care of Ethan’s wife, Zeena. Ethan recognizes his misfortune and dreads his life’s problems.…
- 437 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
He suffers from an unfortunate fate because of moral constraints and uncontrollable forces. Because of moral constraints, Ethan had to put his dream career to a halt and take care of his parents in Starkfield. Ethan then went on to marry Zeena who he had to take care of because of his moral compass and uncontrollable forces. Then finally, he remained in Starkfield after the suicide attempt. His ultimate fate proves the trap Starkfield proves to be for Ethan, who symbolizes the strictest of moralists. Although some may call him a loser, Ethan had little to no control over his situation. The cards he had been dealt with were limited. Additionally, he may have avoided the issues easily if he did not believe in morals. Becoming immoral makes life in general much easier. Morals can restrict an individual from a simple, promising life. They need to become selfless and act considerate towards others. Whether by taking care of the sick or making sure to satisfy everyone at the expense of oneself, living with a moral code can cause people to act different ways than others. It largely depends on how much of a moralist a person is. For some people, unfortunately, strictly living by a moral code can act as a harmful agent to someone’s…
- 1804 Words
- 8 Pages
Good Essays -
August Bishop and Ethan Knight have been best friends since the day they first met at his seventh birthday party. Ethan's mother passed away not long after giving birth, so he is left with his dad and spends a lot of time with August and her family. Both are nineteen years old and have hopeful dreams. Ethan has been performing magic tricks his whole life, always leaving August in awe and wondering how the trick was done. August, on the other hand, has a love for acting. She cares about her family constantly and her best friend Ethan. Determined to accomplish what she wants, August lets nothing stop her. Just Friends, by Billy Taylor, is a fictional, young adult, romance novel about love, magic, friendship, and fame.…
- 574 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
Fortunately, the family has health insurance and mom is onboard because she has been concerned about Ashley for awhile now and was considering this possibility as well. The first meeting with Ms. Henning and Ashley goes well. Ashley explains that she misses her mom. Her mom is busy all the time. Her step-dad is nice but she misses her “real dad” and her new siblings are “okay” but she gets really jealous sometimes.…
- 1357 Words
- 6 Pages
Powerful Essays -
Similarly in the film, Cassavetes adapts the external conflicts between the characters using certain camera shots to support him to display the theme of the novel profoundly. In the novel, Allie’s parents are the external conflict between Allie and Noah, but Allie’s love for Noah is adamant which leads her betraying her parents. She says to Noah, “I don’t care what my parents think, I love you and always will, [...] We’ll find a way to be together.” (Sparks 14) This quote implies that Allie is going to go against her parent's will of them not being together. Her love for Noah has got the better of her feelings for her parents which lead to her betraying their trust. In the movie, close-ups are utilized to show the full of hope, and optimistic facial emotions on Allie’s face The close up shot on Allie’s face indicates that she is willing to do anything for the love she has for Noah, which includes betraying her parents. Another instance where love causes them to betray another is when Allie tells Lon that she is going to look at a house, but instead she’s going to meet Noah. “Lon didn’t know the real reason she left the following morning.” (Sparks 15) Love has caused Allie to lie to her fiance Lon and her love for Noah have crossed all boundaries. Likewise, in the film, while she is lying to Lon about going to look at houses, the director uses medium shots and close ups on…
- 711 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays