Ethan Frome Essay

In Edith Wharton’s Ethan Frome, Ethan, a poor farmer living in Starkfield, Massachusetts, is caught between his wife, Zeena, and the woman he truly loves, Mattie, his housekeeper. Zeena is a cold, bitter woman who manipulated Ethan into marrying her by taking care of his mother while she was dying, and then convincing Ethan that he is in debt to her and must marry her. Mattie, on the other hand, is a kind, generous girl who Ethan is secretly in love with, yet he refuses to act upon these feelings because he is afraid to face the consequences of his actions. Throughout the novel, Ethan’s dilemma between his legal marriage to Zeena and his emotional feelings for Mattie is never truly resolved because of Ethan’s indecisive nature. In the end, he chooses t...