symbolism in Ethan Frome

In “Ethan Frome” by Edith Wharton there are many forms of symbolism. Some of which are the pickle dish, the missing “L” on the house, the gravestone bearing Ethan’s name, and the name Starkfield.

The first example of symbolism is the pickle dish breaking.

“The cat, profiting by this unusual demonstration,
tried to effect an unnoticed retreat, and in doing
so backed into the pickle dish, which fell to the floor
with a crash. Mattie, in an instant, had sprung from
her chair and was down on her knees by the fragments.
‘Oh Ethan, Ethan—It’s all to pieces! What will Zeena Say?’
…She lifted stricken eyes to him. ‘Yes, but, you see, she never
meant it should be used, not even when there was company;
and I had to get up on the step-ladder to reach it down from
the top shelf of the china closet, where she keeps it with all
her best things, and of course she’ll want to know why
I did...