What was Zeena saying about Mattie?
Zeena accuses Mattie of taking from her the thing she cared for most of all. She says she always knew Mattie was a bad girl, and adds that she should have thrown Mattie out long ago.
Why does Ethan want to avoid going to bed until Zeena and Mattie have gone upstairs?
Why does Ethan want to avoid going to bed until Zeena and Mattie have gone upstairs? He wants time to think about his feelings for Zeena/ Maddie; he says he has mill accounts to go over.
Does Mattie really love Ethan?
Mattie in Love As a young woman, Mattie seems to be truly in love with Ethan. Everything from turning down Denis Eady to declaring her love indicates that her affection for Ethan is sincere.
What are some symbols in Ethan Frome?
Ethan Frome Symbolism, Imagery, Allegory
- Dead Cucumber Vines, Crepe Streamers, and Other Symbols of Death. Ethan Frome is loaded with symbols of death.
- The Color Red. The red pickle dish isn’t only a symbol of shattering and death.
- The Church Basement and the Frome Home.
- The Farm, The Sawmill, and the Railroad.
What does the cat symbolize in Ethan Frome?
The Cat. The cat owned by the Fromes symbolizes Zeena’s presence. It is constantly around Ethan and Mattie while they are alone together, and it serves as a reminder to Ethan that he is doing this behind his wife’s back.
Why does Ethan hide from Mattie?
Instead of going into the church, Ethan hides in the shadows near a window and watches Mattie dance with Denis Eady. His jealousy prompts Ethan to recall some of the qualities that make Mattie precious to him. Because Ethan is insecure, he intimates that Mattie will be leaving the Fromes’ house to marry Eady.
How is the ending of Ethan Frome ironic?
Oh, the irony: At the end of the novel, after the accident, we find that Mattie is more like Zeena than we originally were led to believe. The accident took a physical and emotional toll on her. She has dramatically aged and also lost her sweetness and charm that originally attracted Ethan to her.
How are Mattie and Zeena similar?
Mattie is a compassionate, lively, outgoing woman who tries hard and has a positive outlook on life. Zeena, on the other hand, is a pessimistic, cold-hearted, and dull woman who is too self-absorbed to have fun in her life.
Why does Zeena take Mattie?
She died of loneliness. The train used to come to the house and she would see people but then the tracks were moved and she no longer saw anyone. Why does Zeena take Mattie into her home? Mattie was orphaned, but Zenna took this opportunity to get Mattie to help her in the house.
Does Ethan Frome kiss Mattie?
Yes, Ethan kisses Mattie near the end of the novel. He is supposed to be transporting her to the train station, but he takes a side route so they can…
Does Ethan Frome and Mattie die?
Instead of finding escape in suicide, he and Mattie have ended up in a state of living death, in which all Mattie’s vitality has been leeched away, and she has transformed into a carbon copy of her former opposite, Zeena.
What does Ethan like about Mattie?
When he is around Mattie, Ethan feels a sense of mastery. For example, he feels protective of Mattie; he feels authoritative, important, and needed.
Why does Ethan regret lying to Zeena?
what lie does Ethan tell Zeena, why does he tell it, and why does he regret it? He told her he would be getting money from Andrew Hale so he wouldn’t have to take her to the Flats, and he regretted because she would spend more money on medication.
How old is Mattie in Ethan Frome?
Mattie is twenty-one years old. At this age, it was normal for a woman to be married with children of her own.
What does the Frome graveyard represent?
The Frome’s graveyard represents death, but also Ethan’ s inability to escape Starkfield. As Ethan passes the graveyard, he thinks about the generations of his family who lived an died on the farm, “We never got away- how should you?” (pg.
Are Zeena and Ethan cousins?
Zeena and Mattie are cousins. Zeena and Ethan are cousins. Zeena was preparing to leave town after the funeral, but he stopped her, and asked that she remain with him in Starkfield.
Who is Mattie Silver and why is her presence so important to Ethan Frome?
Who is Mattie Silver and why is her presence so important to Ethan Frome? Mattie Silver is Zeena’s cousin who takes care of her. Her presence is important to Frome, because he likes her and she brings joy to him.
Is Ethan Frome a tragedy?
Wharton’s iconic novel, Ethan Frome follows a tragic hero caught between the conventions of society and his own happiness. The tragedy of Ethan Frome revolves around him, his sickly wife Zeena, and his mistress Miss Mattie Silver.
Is Starkfield Massachusetts real?
Starkfield, a fictional Massachusetts city in the novel Ethan Frome.
Why did Ethan marry Zeena?
Ethan married Zeena because he was afraid of silence, just as his mother was. The Fromes appear to suffer from a fear of loneliness, which causes them to make poor decisions. Wharton implies that Zeena got “ill” because she couldn’t bear moving to a larger town where Ethan would be out of her control.
What does Starkfield symbolize in Ethan Frome?
The name of the town, Starkfield, symbolizes the devastating and isolating effects of the harsh winters on the land and the men who work the land.
How old is Zeena in Ethan Frome?
35 years old
Why does Ethan Frome like Mattie Silver?
Mattie Silver Attractive, young, and energetic, Mattie becomes the object of Ethan’s affection, and reciprocates his infatuation. Because the reader sees Mattie only through Ethan’s own lovesick eyes, Mattie never truly emerges as a well-rounded character.
What does the red scarf symbolize in Ethan Frome?
The red scarf Mattie wears at the dance and later at the farmhouse represent youthful passion that Ethan is missing from his life. It represents light in Ethan’s life in a sea of grey that is Ethan’s reality.
Does Ethan Frome die?
There are two endings in Ethan Frome. The first is right after Mattie and Ethan crash into the elm tree, at the end of Chapter 9. The second ending happens at the end of the Epilogue, 24 years later. It is this second ending that makes the story brilliant, but also earns it a high rating on our creepy-meter.
Is Zeena sick?
She is asthmatic and “sickly.” She speaks in a plaintive, whiny drawl. Zeena is seven years older than Ethan. Over the years Zeena becomes adept at using her illnesses to control everyone and everything in her environment. Her illness is the reason why Mattie must go and a hired housekeeper must come to take her place.
Why is the narrator in Starkfield?
Due to a carpenters’ strike, an engineer (the narrator) spends the winter in the small Massachusetts town of Starkfield, where he comes to learn the tale of Ethan Frome through various sources.
Is the narrator in Ethan Frome a man or a woman?
The narrator is an engineer who has come to Starkfield to work at a nearby power plant. He’s an educated, upper-middle-class man who happens to become fascinated by the figure of Ethan Frome, 24 years after the tragic sled ride. Luckily for us, the narrator is a kind of a nosey guy.
What does Ethan lie about?
At the last minute, in order to buy more time with Mattie, Ethan lies to Zeena—he says he needs to collect payment for the delivery of lumber from his mill to Andrew Hale, a builder in Starkfield, and that therefore Jotham Powell, the hired man, will have to take Zeena to the train.
Why has Ethan remained in Starkfield?
Ethan remained in Starkfield because he had to care for the folks, his mother, father and wife.