Ethan Frome By Wharton Essay, Research Paper

They say that if you give a man the necessary tools and supplies, he will build

himself a trap. This trap is made unconsciously; therefore, it cannot be

escaped; the solution cannot be found. The only solution that suffices is to

live with this trap, sadly, for life. But is it the only solution? In Edith

Wharton’s romantic, yet tragic novel Ethan Frome, the need for affection causes

Ethan Frome to gradually shed his taciturnity and bring his emotions to life.

Early in the novel, Ethan’s passiveness and lack of self-confidence, allow his

wife Zeena to emasculate him, as well as make him emotionally inarticulate

toward Mattie. Once Mattie Silvers enters Ethan’s life, she awakens in Ethan the

bitterness of his youth’s lost opportunities, and a dissatisfaction with his

joyless life and empty marriage. Gradually, Ethan strengthens and gathers the

courage to defy Zeena and confess his love for Mattie. At the start of his

journey, Ethan surrenders himself to the forces of isolation, silence, and his

depleted life. Soon his desire for love, in a situation where only abject

coldness exists, transforms him into an emotional and confident man. Because of

his emotional weakness, Ethan loses opportunities to reveal his passion to

Mattie and also acquiesces to his wife’s demands, while shunning out his own

needs. After suffering so long with the sickly Zeena, Ethan fears unveiling his

passionate feelings to Mattie, for he is bound as a husband and tradition to

Zeena. Years earlier as a younger and more hale man, Ethan felt trapped in his

hometown Starkfield. Mistakenly, he marries Zeena, a gaunt, sallow nagging hag,

as compensation for her nursing Ethan’s sick mother. Ethan and his morose,

invalid wife Zeena live in a trapped, unspoken resentment on Ethan’s isolated

and failing farm. Driven by a perverted need for attention, Zeena claims to have

numerous ailments and employs her destitute cousin to help with the chores. Over

the course of the years, Ethan, lonely and miserable, finds himself falling in

love with Mattie, drawn to her youthful, animated energy. As he walks through

town one night, he stops by the church to watch Mattie dance. As he marvels at

the young girl’s beauty he thinks, "But hitherto the emotion had remained

in him as silent ache, veiling with sadness the beauty that evoked it. He did

not even know whether any one else in the world felt as he did, or whether any

one else in the world felt as he did, or whether he was the sole victim of this

mournful privilege"(17). Ethan lives in his own world of silence, where he

replaces his scarcity of words with imaginations and fantasies. For years Ethan

and his wife live in silence and seclusion. Ultimately, the total lack of

communication between the silent couple significantly contributes to their

miserable marriage as well as Ethan’s inability to act out his emotions. Ethan,

accustomed to his silent relationship with his wife, flutters when he meets

Mattie and loses complete faith in himself. Fear and doubt overwhelms because

love is a new concept to him; a journey he scarcely ventures. Every time Ethan

tries to converse with his wife, all he ever hears are her complaints and

demands. Thus, he would rather not communicate with her at all. Also, since

Zeena looks down on Ethan, he feels that he also must not be worthy enough for

Mattie. He believes Zeena’s criticisms and they taunt him when he attempts to

court Mattie. Ethan further displays uncertainty and shyness by restraining

himself from kissing Mattie. The morning after Ethan escorted Mattie home,

Ethan’s thoughts turn back to last night. As the memory of Mattie’s warm

shoulder comes back to him, he regrets his failure to kiss her when he had the

chance. Ethan, frustrated, asks himself, "Why had he not kissed her when he

held her there? . . . a few minutes earlier, when they had stood alone outside

the house, he would not have dared to think of kissing her" (29). As a

cold, isolated, and grim figure, Zeena embodies her surrounding. She creates a

loveless, desolate home for Ethan where he never learns to express his love and

affection. When the moment to manifest his passion to Mattie in the form of the

kiss arrives, he becomes nervous, and shies out like a scared lamb. Even more,

Ethan lacks the confidence and courage to stand up for himself against Zeena,

who manipulates Ethan and uses her frail health to justify her bitter

personality. When Zeena returns from her visit to the doctor, Ethan cautiously

greets her as she sits in the darkened bedroom. She coldly informs him that her

illness is worse than he thinks and even blames him for her illnesses. Although,

since Mattie’s arrival, Zeena does very little housework, such a recommendation

is most welcome because it provides her with an excuse to get rid of Mattie, of

whom she has become increasingly jealous. Ethan calmly endures her harsh

accusations, and helplessly replies, "But you know it. I’m sorry, but it

can’t be helped. You’re a poor man’s wife, Zeena; but I’ll do the best I can for

you" (57). Overcome by his enormous sense of responsibility for others,

Ethan never tries to pursuit his own pleasures. A life without pleasure

characterizes Ethan’s painful silence and despair. The monotonous routine of

life’s daily responsibilities and self?doubt hold Ethan captive to his farm

and frigid marriage. Ethan feels guilty that he fancies Mattie, and as a result,

he feels it is his duty to submit to Zeena’s wishes, even though they are

against his. He fails to realize that his failing marriage is not his fault, but

because Ethan feels responsibility for everything, Ethan senses he has no right

to defy Zeena. In summation, Miraculously, Mattie, like a veritable angel, sheds

light onto Ethan’s miserable life and shows him his weakness as he permits Zeena

to control his emotions. At this point, Ethan begins to see Zeena as the root of

his unhappiness and inexpressiveness. Zeena announces to Ethan the doctor’s

recommendation for surgery. After hearing the news, Ethan is suddenly tossed

between waves of jubilation and pity. Zeena wants his sympathy, and as usual,

Ethan right about gives Zeena the vicarious emotion she lusts, but suddenly,

Ethan notices Zeena’s hardness and callousness like never before?an antipathy

of Mattie. Angered and dismayed, he stops himself and ponders at his discovery:

"Wrath and dismay contended in Ethan. He had foreseen an immediate demand

for money, but not a permanent drain on his scant resources. He had no longer

believed what Zeena had told him of the supposed seriousness of her state: he

saw in her expedition to Bettsbridge only a plot hatched between herself and her

Pierce relations to foist on him the cost of a servant; and for the moment wrath

predominated"(56). Now, Ethan begins to see what he failed to see before:

Zeena removes herself from society and uses her feigned illness to control him.

By being a semi-invalid, she can tell Ethan what to do. He decides that he no

longer wants Zeena’s harshness and pretended ill-health beating him down. Ethan

reveals to be still unsure and fears speaking his mind. However, the mere

acknowledgment of Zeena’s true nature reveals a transfiguration in thought, soon

to be put in action. Ethan no longer blames his bleak, depressing marriage on

himself. In fact, Ethan preoccupies more about the treatment, which will cost

him money, than about the diagnosis, exposing the degree to which he despises

Zeena. After realizing with Mattie what true love is, Ethan begins to reflect on

his own bereft marriage. Clearly, Zeena manipulates him like a toy and does not

give him the love and care that a wife should. Their marriage resembles a one

way street, where only Ethan works to appease Zeena. Afterward, Ethan tries to

build the courage to speak his mind to Zeena, as he becomes conscious of her

malicious intent to send away his life’s last joy. Ethan explains to Zeena that

he cannot afford another hired hand, but he pledges to do much of the work

himself along with Mattie. Zeena wickedly laughs at Ethan’s face out loud and

successfully deals him another blow below the belt. She signals her triumph over

Ethan. Astonished, Ethan sweeps to Mattie’s defense and vehemently cries,

"You can’t put her out of the house like a thief?a poor girl without

friends or money. She’s done her best for you and she’s your kin but everybody

else’ll remember it. If you do a thing like that what do you supposed folk’ll

say of you" (58). Early in the novel, Zeena has the knack of making Ethan

feels guilty about almost everything he does and thinks, especially after Mattie

arrives. A certain look gives him an eerie feeling that Zeena can read his

thoughts and he cannot bear to have his relationship with Mattie exposed. Now,

Ethan sees through Zeena’s cold, conniving scheme and realizes that he might

lose the one joy in his life for ever. He forces himself to speak up, even if it

gives away his secret. Still yet, Ethan fears to fully admit to his misery in

front of Zeena. Even more important, he fails to tell Zeena his true feelings,

not only about his life and marriage, but about Mattie. In fact, he pretends to

worry about Zeena’s reputation in order to conceal his defense of Mattie. In

short, Ethan does not fully let go of his fear and submissiveness, but his very

attempt signals development. Suddenly and unpredictably, Ethan comes to his

senses and recognizes how Zeena oppresses him. Ethan knows that when Zeena makes

her up her mind?it’s final. Hence, he dwells on how arid life might be if he

loses Mattie. Wharton reveals the depth of Ethan’s reaction with great passion

and intensity: Ethan looked at her loathing. She was no longer the listless

creature who had lived at his side in a state of sullen self-absorption, but a

mysterious alien presence, and evil energy secreted from the long years of

silent brooding. It was the sense of his helplessness that sharpened his

antipathy. There had never been anything that one could appeal to . . . Now she

had mastered him and he abhorred her . . . For a moment such a flame of hate

rose in him that it ran down his arm and clenched his fist against her. He took

a wild step forward and then stopped. (59) Violence wells inside of the once

emotionally stiff Ethan. He finally assures himself of Zeena’s true character:

an evil, brooding woman who robs him of a happy life. He blames Zeena for

ruining his life and holding him captive. He never tasted happiness until he

meets Mattie. Now, Zeena intends to deprive him of the one thing that makes up

for every hardship he has suffered in the past seven wretched years. While

Mattie is young, happy, healthy, and beautiful like the summer, Zeena is seven

years older than Ethan, bitter, ugly and sickly cold like the winter. Zeena’s

strong dominating personality emasculates Ethan, while Mattie’s feminine,

effervescent youth makes Ethan feel like a "real man." In brief,

Ethan’s gradual realizations of his unhappy marriage to Zeena and happiness in

the company of Mattie, precipitate his desire to build confidence. Contrary to

his characteristic passiveness, Ethan now defies Zeena and expresses his

affection for Mattie. After Ethan and Zeena finish fighting, Ethan comes

downstairs where Mattie serves him his dinner, but he cannot eat. He rises from

his chair and walks around the table to her side. Frightened, Mattie questions

Ethan’s terrified facial expression. In answer, Ethan presses his lips against

hers and weeps, "You can’t go, Matt! I won’t let you! She’s [Zeena's]

always had her way, but I mean to have mine now??" (61). Before, Ethan

could only flash rapport and speak of his feelings bashfully. Now, Ethan

emboldens and makes his first amorous advance to Mattie. Only now does the

mutual passion between Ethan and Mattie ceased to be incommunicative. Ethan’s

desperate cry and confession demonstrate all that Zeena had suppressed. Now, he

is free from his cage, and he has the courage and confidence to speak his

thoughts. For Ethan, Mattie radiates energy into his life. He sees possibilities

in her beyond his trite life in Starkfield?something truly worth standing up

for. Her energy and warmth excite him and allow him to escape from his lonely,

monotonous life. Ethan further displays his newfound valiancy when he stands up

to Zeena and gives priority to his feelings over hers. Each minute pushes Mattie

and Ethan closer to the moment neither can face. Ethan hoists Mattie’s trunk

onto the sleigh. He tries to put off the time when he must say good-bye by

deciding that he?not Jotham Owell?will drive Mattie to the train station.

Zeena, alarmed, demands Ethan to stay and let Jotham drive Mattie. Ethan,

determined and no longer intimidated by Zeena, repeats, "I’m going to drive

her myself"(73). Zeena insists that Ethan should stay and fix the stove for

the new servant. However, Ethan raises his voice and indignantly flings back,

"If it was good enough for Mattie I guess it’s good enough for a hired

girl" (73). Ethan no longer cares about what Zeena thinks or feels; nor

does not bother him that Zeena is aware of his feelings for Mattie. He openly

and clearly importunes that he will drive Mattie. Now, Ethan’s words are final

rather than Zeena’s. Ethan, determined to do what he wants, no longer allows

Zeena and her illnesses to control him. He sees through her mask now and seeks

to control his own destiny. Later that night, Ethan finally moves his

relationship with Mattie to a new stage and speaks to her candidly about his

feelings. On the way to the train station, they stop by Shadow Pond, the place

where they once picnicked together. Seeing the place again warms Ethan’s heart

and he whispers into Mattie’s ear: "I want to put my hand out and touch

you. I want to do for you and care for you. I want to be there when you’re sick

and when you’re lonesome" (78). Although he must face the reality that his

fantasy cannot come true, Ethan spills his heart out to Mattie, like a free man

wooing a girl he wishes to marry. Despite his loving feelings at the start of

the novel, Ethan never told Mattie how much he loves her because he never

learned how to express love. Now, he can share the depths of his feelings and

declare his love openly. For once, Ethan sings his passion without the restraint

of guilt or fear. In short, trapped in a loveless marriage to an uncongenial

spouse, Ethan achieves his sweetheart by sloughing off his shyness and building

the strength to communicate his feelings. On the whole, does Ethan Frome ever

set himself free from the weakness that traps him in a hopelessly burdened and

branded life? Contrary to popular belief, solitude and the human need for

passion cause Ethan Frome, the title character of Edith Wharton’s tragic novel,

Ethan Frome, to cast off his shy, feeble nature and embolden into an emotional

man. At first, Ethan exhibits self-doubt and fears emotional expression. Upon

Mattie’s arrival, Ethan realizes the burdens of his depleted life. In the end,

his thirst for Mattie’s love encourages him to blossom into a free, strong,

passionate man. For Ethan Frome, life cannot be a loveless and tragic trap. At

least he hopes so as struggles and succeeds to free himself from his passivity

throughout the novel.