ethan frome

In Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton, Ethan, a reserved young man was torn between two women. He was married to Zenobia Frome, but his true love was his wife’s cousin, Mattie Silver. Zeena and Mattie were different in all aspects. Mattie was a caring, loving, beautiful young girl, while Zeena was a sickly, shrewish woman aged well beyond her years. Ethan was continuously drawn to Mattie throughout the novel, as she was much more …showed first 75 words of 749 total…

…showed last 75 words of 749 total…deeply in love, yet the only way for them to be together was through death. In a bungled dual suicide attempt Ethan’s right side was paralyzed, and Mattie was maimed for life. Mattie ended up living with the Fromes, and was even more fragile than Zeena. Tragically Ethan’s fate was not to spend the rest of his life living with one sickly woman, but bearing the burden of caring for two frail women.