"Ethan Frome" Characters Analysis

Analysis, Pages 3 (504 words)

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Love is an intense feeling or deep affection. In the book "Ethan Frome", a married man falls in love with his wife's cousin named Mattie Silver. People don't pick who they fall in love with, it's the feelings we get from a certain person that catches our attention. The story shows the reader how a lack of love can twist a human being almost beyond recognition. In the four days leading up to a suicide pact between Ethan and Mattie Silver.

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The two lonely characters get a sight of love and companionship. But while with his wife for an extra 24 years, he still is in love with her cousin. The husband, wife, and cousin are stuck in a bitter love triangle from which escape is impossible. Some would think the husband would leave the wife to be with would he really loves, but the situation here is that Ethan is in love with both wife and her cousin. Love can make a person do crazy things and block a person's personal judgment.

That's why Ethan doesn't have a problem with being with his wife and her cousin. But in chapter 7 the narrator says " She slipped from him and drew back a step or two, pale and troubled. The narrator shows the reader after Ethan kisses Mattie in the kitchen, she backs away from him indicating that she doesn't want a relationship with him or anything romantic. At that point Ethan should have known that Mattie didn't want to be with him, he was in love with her and wanted her to see him as he saw her.

He is in love with Mattie because she is different than what he is used to. But soon realizes that Mattie and Zeena are not so different at all. In the story, the author uses many symbols that give us a representation of his ideas or qualities. The color red indicates violence, passionate love or could be described as fire or blood. In Chapter 4 the author begins to explain the contrast between the red ribbon and the pickle-dish that symbolize the couple's passion and their sin against Zeena. He shows the reader visual contents to explain how Mattie and Ethan are not taking Zeena's feelings into consideration. Ethan's life could've had a different outcome but the choices he made throughout his life made it impossible for him to keep the situation under control. The reasons behind why he made those terrible choices were because he found someone that was young and attractive. Also, frustrated and unhappy because he's a poor farmer and also has to take care of his sickly wife. Allows him to make the decisions he thought would make his life a little bit easier. But turns out those choices made didn't do anything but hurt him. The decisions Ethan made anyone would have done the same if they were put in his situation. The strongest character in the story is Ethan because he is put through obstacles that define the true will of man.