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Edith Wharton’s Ethan Frome, juxtaposes the treatment and attention Ethan directs to Zeena and Mattie. The different treatment between the two further reveals Ethan’s internal selfish thoughts to be with Mattie. As Ethan and Mattie have more interactions and time to themselves, “The grow of passion he had felt for her had melted into an aching tenderness” (Wharton 85). Ethan’s selfishness is the antagonist of Ethan and Zeena’s marriage, and it acts as a barrier to the struggle between his affection for Mattie and his existing relationship. Although Ethan’s selfish desires to be with Mattie are shameful, he stoops to beyond a level of inconceivable selfishness, and schemes to flee Starkfield in order to escape Zeena to forever…
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1. Ethan Frome – Ethan, the head of the Frome household, is first seen by the narrator to be a stiff/stern man who looks as if he is quite saddened. Ethan carries a limp and bears a scar on his face. As the narrator learns about Ethan’s past through various stories, he sees that young Ethan is quite the antithesis of the old Ethan. This young Ethan is portrayed as a man full of intelligence, strength, and optimism. Though he has an engineering degree and a healthy physique – which is widely sought for at the time of the novel – Ethan is stuck in Starkfield because of his sick…
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Is the glass half empty or half full? For many authors of the realism movement of the early twentieth century, empty was the answer. A prolific author of the time, Edith Wharton was a product of the New York upper class and the first woman to win the Pulitzer Prize. She often delved into controversial subjects – such as adultery – and was consequently shunned from society. At a young age, she was acquainted with Egerton Winthrop, who introduced her to Darwinism, an important factor in her work. In Wharton’s novel, Ethan Frome, one can observe the role of fate in the title character’s life. A young married man, Ethan has hopes and dreams, which are all extinguished by his hypochondriac wife. In The Age of Innocence, Wharton tells the story of…
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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.…
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In Ethan Frome, Wharton uses symbols and archetypes to create Ethan's anguish to his moral obligation to his wife Zeena which keeps him from his true love, Mattie. His moral prison is established with the headstone of another Ethan Frome and his wife that bores that they "dwelled together in peace for fifty years," which interests Ethan (Frome 66). Later on, his own neighbors "don't see there's much difference between the Fromes up at the farm and the Fromes down in the graveyard" (Frome 140). The symbol of "the Fromes down in the graveyard" establishes Ethan's similarities to the dead illustrating his moral obligation to Zeena for eternity (Frome 140). When Ethan feels Zeena's presence, coincidently Zeena's grey cat "[elongates] its body in the direction of the milk-jug, which stood between Ethan and Mattie" (Frome 69).The cat then tries an unobserved retreat and "[backs] into the red pickle-dish, which [falls] on the floor with a crash" (Frome 69). The color archetypes of red' establish Ethan and Mattie's love while the grey' cat establishes Zeena who breaks their love, the dish. Ethan is always besieged by Zeena even when lacking her presence. He…
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Both of Mattie’s parents had died, so she came to live with the Fromes. She became a caretaker of the house and Zeena. About a year into staying with the Fromes, Zeena decided to send Mattie away since she suspected that Mattie and her husband were having an affair. Ethan was extremely upset because Mattie did not have anywhere to go. Zeena won the argument, and Mattie was sent away. Ethan took Mattie back to the station where they confessed their love for each other. Mattie made a bold statement by saying, “we’d never have to leave each other any more” (Wharton 143). The two were standing by a coasting hill, and at the bottom of the hill was an enormous elm tree. Mattie had the idea to sled right into the tree so the two could truly be together forever. Ethan went along with the idea, but the couple failed with their plan. Mattie needed the Fromes, but she needed Ethan to love her back. Ethan gave her the feeling of rebellion and…
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Ethan realizes his own impulsiveness and flawed character, becomes aware of his flaws, proving that he fits the archetype of a tragic hero yet again. Ethan was going to deceive kindly Mrs. Hale into giving him money. However, he took a step back and saw his situation in a different light, saying “With the sudden perception of the point to which his madness had carried him, the madness fell and [Ethan] saw his life before him as it was.” (113). Ethan is so desperate to escape from his situation at home that he feels the need to take advantage of others. Ethan's impulsiveness persists, and he commits suicide when he is no longer able to face his dark…
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Although Frome’s actions seem to contain merit, his vacuity is what causes him to live in constant moral isolation. The author foreshadows Ethan’s fate with an allusion to a grave: “SACRED TO THE MEMORY OF ETHAN FROME AND ENDURANCE HIS WIFE…” (Wharton 70). This depicts Frome’s tragic end to a great extent, because he does not die a physical death, but rather a mental demise. Frome’s poor judgement of allowing Mattie to convince him to commit suicide resulted in him being trapped in moral isolation. Furthermore, it resulted in Mattie becoming paralyzed, while Zeena was left to tend to both individuals for the rest of their lives. Frome was left to endure the consequences of his plight. He was also left with a resentful Mattie, who realized that Frome had truly destroyed her. Frome was a “prisoner for life” (Wharton 117) and would continue to be tormented by the constant reminder of his failure and lack of…
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In many books, a hero has a major flaw, which contributes to his downfall in the story. In the book Ethan Frome, the main character, Ethan, encounters a tragedy and is brought to ruin and suffers extreme sorrow, especially as a consequence of tragic flaw. Tragic flaw is a flaw in character that brings about the downfall of the hero of a tragedy. Ethan lacks the qualities that would help him take control of his life because he lets others boss him around and he gives in to any pressures he is faced with. However, his insecure self got him stuck in the midst of bad situations with no ways out, making him doomed to make the wrong decisions. Ethan first bad decision was moving to Starkfield in the first place. Even though he couldn’t possibly know what was in store for him, Ethan made a dreadful decision because he moved to Starkfield under his power, and could have left just as willingly at the right time if he knew how to handle himself. Instead, Ethan stayed in Starkfield, married Zeena, and things just went downward from then on. Ethan’s decision to stay in Starkfield eventually made him a victim of the circumstances because he had no one that he could actually relate to, forcing him in the middle of a miserable situation.…
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And in Ethan Frome, it is Ethan Frome that leads the story into tragedy and his tragic flaw is his silence. The protagonist Ethan Frome is not able to express himself, his feelings and his loneliness to anyone around him. This eventually leads to a failed marriage, a miserable life, and to the tragic ending. Without communication, he ruins his life and his relationship with everyone around him. “She seemed infinitely father away from him and more unapproachable” (Wharton 81). If Ethan is brave enough to talk to Mattie about his feelings and truly expressed himself to her, things may have been different. Instead, he keeps it all to himself and eventually is more isolated then ever. In the end, his silence brought about suffering and sorrow to everyone around him including himself, and left the place in…
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Ed Young: Caldecott Author and Illustrator Allison Green and Shanakay Watson Gladys Yarbrough, Ph.D. Georgia State University Ed Young is a well-known illustrator and writer for many children. He has illustrated an impressive eighty books. Of those eighty books, he has authored seventeen. Although Young was born in Tientsin, China he spent his time in many different geographical locations such as Shanghai and Hong Kong. He continued his journey moving to the United States as a student to pursue studies in architecture.…
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Ethan From, the main character in the Edith Wharton novel Ethan From, is a man who lives in a world of silence. He lives in the New England town of Starkfield, Massachusetts, with his bitter wife and his wife's cousin Mattie. Over time Ethan is a man who has become trapped in Starkfield due to the number of winters he has endured. The mood throughout the novel is that of Winter. Winter connotes detachment, loneliness, bleakness, bitterness, and seclusion which are all portrayed in the novel. This essay will show how Edith Wharton uses seasonal symbolism to heighten the tragedy in the novel. Ethan is a twenty-eight year old man who feels trapped in his home town of Starkfield, Massachusetts. The novel takes place in the late 1800's, this was…
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They where going to make passionate love while sleighing downhill. If they succeeded to finish they would leave to go to Florida and start over again. If they didn’t make it, they would crash on the elm tree and their fate would be in God’s hands. They started gaining speed but because Ethan wanted it to last he purposely slowed them down. Mattie was in ecstasy and wasn’t paying attention, since they both felt as if only the two of them existed in the world. Unfortunately, they crashed. They where like two eagles mating, who flew up high in the air, and let themselves fall, leaving their lives to fate alone. Only one thing was different in this occasion. The eagles of Starkfield never died. Mattie had passed out and was lying on the cold snow, but her face and hair were warm and full of life. For a moment, Ethan panicked, believing his beloved was dead, and he stood over her shouting, ‘Mattie Mattie I love you!’ He was desperately crying while Mattie slowly opened her beautiful eyes and moved her gorgeous eyelashes. Her glimmering eyes looked at Ethan and her luscious lips moved to form the phrase ‘I love you Ethan’. Ethan was relieved, however he knew that in order for them to survive and be happy together, they would first have to pass through Zeena.…
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Elecdyne is a Tokyo corporation founded in 1990, which dedicated themselves to markets a series of televisions, CD Players, DVD players, MP3 players to their wide range of domestic customers. In recent years, with the deepening of domestic electronics market competition, the company's profit declined in the last two years, and now it is facing the uncertain outlook. Moreover, the company has to confront the chief designer leaving, growth of technological licenses fees and loss of product price advantage. It is evident that Elecdyne does not have the capacity to afford the license fees and recruit new R&D graduates.…
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There are four environment rating scales, each designed for a different segment of the early childhood field: Infants and Toddler Environment Rating Scale, Family Child Care Environment Rating Scale , School Aged Environment Rating Scale, and the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale . Each scale contains items assessing the physical environment, basic care of children, curriculum, interactions, schedule and program structure, and parent and staff needs.…
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