How does Ethan react to Mattie's apology to Eady?
She apologizes for her inadequacies as a houseworker, and asks Ethan to clarify what he means. Ethan, however, is unable to communicate his true feelings. Approaching the farmhouse, Ethan is reassured that Mattie will not marry Eady. He walks arm in arm with her and when she stumbles, uses the opportunity to put his arm around her.
Why does Ethan need Mattie's approval for his romantic illusions?
Because Ethan is incapable of telling Mattie that he loves her, he "attach (es) a fantastic importance to every change in her look and tone." He needs her approval to fuel his romantic illusions.
What is the first clue to the cause of Ethan's misery?
what is the first clue to the cause of ethan frome's misery? very early in the chapter, we learn that, four or five years earlier, Ethan was studying physics, but had to leave his studies because his father died.
What happens in Chapter 1 of Ethan Ethan?
As Chapter 1 begins, Ethan is going into town to walk Mattie Silver home from a dance at the church. Instead of going into the church, Ethan hides in the shadows near a window and watches Mattie dance with Denis Eady.
What clues do the contents of Ethan's typical mail delivery suggest?
what clues do the contents of Ethan's typical mail delivery suggest? Ethan receives mail addressed to a woman- presumably his wife- and bears the return address of various "patent medicine" producers, indicating that the woman might be chronically ill.
What does the name Starkfield suggest about the setting?
The name Starkfield suggests that is it barren. Herman Gow corroborates this later by saying , "Most of the smart ones get away."
What might the conversation between Ethan and Mattie about the giant elm tree foreshadow?
After the first ride, Ethan asks Mattie if she was scared of running into the elm tree. The idea of fear signals the mounting pressure of the death wish building in the two lovers. It also foreshadows the accident.
How did the narrator find the clues for the story of Ethan Frome?
As they enter the house, the Narrator hears a woman's complaining voice, but cannot make out her words. The narrator says that he then discovered the "clue" to Ethan Frome that allowed him to "put together this vision of his story."
What does the name Starkfield suggest about the setting in Ethan Frome?
- The name of stark field suggest the landscape and also the characteristics of the people living there being barren and well, Stark.
How would you describe Starkfield the Massachusetts town where the story is set What is symbolic about the town's name?
Even the name of the town, "Starkfield," is significant as a symbolic summation of the moral landscape of the novel. It implies the devastating and isolating effects of the harsh winters on the land and the men who work the land.
What is the irony in Ethan Frome?
One of the ironies was when Ethan repeatedly saw Zeena's face in the rocking chair while coasting; this instance is ironic because of how Ethan is deliberately coasting with Mattie to avoid Zeena, yet her face appears in front of him, demonstrating how he could never leave his stark reality in Starkfield.
Why does Ethan make Mattie get up from the sled so he can sit in front?
Ethan climbs onto the sled and Mattie gets on in front of him. He orders her to get on behind him, because he wants to feel her holding him.
Why does Ethan hide when Mattie comes out after the dance what does he see?
As Chapter 1 begins, Ethan is going into town to walk Mattie Silver home from a dance at the church. 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.
What metaphors does the narrator use to describe winter in Starkfield?
Early on, the narrator uses a metaphor of a city under siege to describe Starkfield in winter, comparing the freezing, snowy weather to a besieging army, and the inhabitants of Starkfield to a “starved garrison.” This metaphor establishes the theme of how Starkfield's icy climate oppresses human lives.
What tone does the narrator recognize in Ethan's voice when they discuss the narrator's book?
The narrator detects the sad, wistful tone in Ethan's words as he describes how much bigger and friendlier the house had been when his father was alive.
What favor does Ethan offer the narrator at the end of the prologue?
When Ethan picked him up, he gave him the magazine, telling him it was left in the buggy. Ethan must have looked through it, because he expressed amazement over it, suggesting to the narrator that he liked to study science in the past. In turn, the narrator offered to give him the magazine, and Ethan accepted.
What does Harmon's comment about Ethan mean?
Harmon's comment that Ethan has been in stark field for too many winters, alludes to the harshness or the village's New England winters and suggests the isolation the impose on the residents of the village. Setting, to a large extent, determines what the characters area and what they can do.
Why did Ethan leave his studies?
very early in the chapter, we learn that, four or five years earlier, Ethan was studying physics, but had to leave his studies because his father died.
What does Ethan receive from his wife?
Ethan receives mail addressed to a woman- presumably his wife- and bears the return address of various "patent medicine" producers, indicating that the woman might be chronically ill.
What does the narrator hear in the etjans home?
the narrator enters etjans home and hears "a woman's voice droning querulously". This leads the reader to wonder who the woman is, but to also suspect that the woman's querulousness might be a factor in Ethan's apparent misery.
Where did Ethan and the narrator live?
they both spent time in florida. ethan had spent a year there studying to be an engineer, which is also the narrator's occupation
Is Ethan's home cold?
ethan's home is a cold home, and his marriage is probably a loveless one
Is Ethan isolated?
Ethan is alone, isolated, apart form society and social functions. there is also, likewise, something that separates him from the girl
How does Wharton explain Ethan's feelings to Mattie?
As Mattie and Ethan walk home, Wharton emphasizes the difficulty Ethan has in communicating with Mattie. He is unable to express his affection in words or action. When provided the opportunity to reveal his feelings to Mattie, he can only say, "Come along." The isolation and silence that Ethan experiences (a result of the lack of communication in his marriage), have become barriers that inhibit him. Because Ethan is incapable of telling Mattie that he loves her, he "attach (es) a fantastic importance to every change in her look and tone." He needs her approval to fuel his romantic illusions. Ethan's insecurity causes him to intimate that her rejection of him is because she intends to marry Eady and leave the Frome farm.
What is the first paragraph of the book of Ethan and Mattie?
The first paragraph describes the winter night when Ethan walks into town to meet Mattie at the church. It is windy, and there is two feet of snow on the ground; the stars shine like icicles and Orion seems to be a "cold fire.". ("Cold fire" is an oxymoron — a figure of speech in which terms with opposite meanings are combined.)
What is the point of view in Chapter 1 of Ethan Frome?
Chapter 1 begins the main story of Ethan Frome, which takes place about twenty-four years earlier than the prologue and epilogue and describes the three and a half days before and including the "smash-up" (Mattie and Ethan's sledding accident). Wharton shifts the point of view in this chapter from the first person to the limited omniscient point of view. The limited omniscient point of view allows Wharton to relate the thoughts and feelings of only one character. In Ethan Frome, Wharton relates the thoughts and feelings of Ethan.
Why does Ethan feel fearful when he watches Mattie?
As Ethan continues to watch Mattie from outside the window of the church, he feels fearful because Eady is flirting with Mattie.
Why does Ethan feel shy?
Feeling shy because of his recollections of Zeena and his reaction to Mattie's attentions to Eady, Ethan decides to test Mattie and see if she will ride home with Eady. Mattie refuses Eady and as she goes off alone to walk home, Ethan catches up with her. He feels happy by what he perceives as her choice of him over Eady. The couple stops for a moment above the Corbury hill as Mattie tells Ethan about Ned Hale and Ruth Varnum's brush with death as their sled almost hit the elm tree on its downhill run.
What imagery does Wharton use to represent Mattie?
Wharton uses imagery associated with winter to characterize Zeena, and imagery of spring and summer to represent Mattie. When Ethan reaches the church, he stays in "pure and frosty darkness," analogous to the silence and isolation he experiences and in opposition to the happy sociability of the interior of the church which he sees in "a mist of heat" caused by the "volcanic fires" from the stove in the room. Ethan feels that Mattie's effect on him is like "the lighting of a fire on a cold hearth." Her face seems to him "like a window that has caught the sunset." On their walk home from the church, when Ethan reveals to Mattie that he had been hiding while she talked to Eady, "her wonder and his laughter ran together like spring rills in a thaw." Mattie's changes in mood seem to Ethan to be like "the flit of a bird in the branches." And when he finally gets up the courage to put his arm around Mattie, he feels that walking with her is like "floating on a summer stream."
What is the limited omniscient point of view in Ethan Frome?
The limited omniscient point of view allows Wharton to relate the thoughts and feelings of only one character. In Ethan Frome, Wharton relates the thoughts and feelings of Ethan. As the story opens, Wharton continues the imagery and symbolism of the winter setting in Starkfield. The first paragraph describes the winter night when Ethan walks ...
What chapter does Ethan Frome smoke his pipe?
Ethan Frome: Chapter 5. LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Ethan Frome, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work. After supper, Mattie sews while Ethan smokes his pipe and sits by the fire. Ethan wishes this scene of domestic bliss would go on forever. But he can't see Mattie where she is sitting so he tells her ...
What does Ethan say to Zeena?
Ethan replies that nobody can tell what Zeena is thinking . Ethan's shyness, in addition to his sensitivity to traditional morals, prevents him from acting on his feelings physically. He can do nothing more than touch the end of the piece of fabric Mattie is sewing.
What does Ethan say about Mattie and Mattie?
Gradually, Ethan and Mattie find it easier to talk, and the illusion that they are husband and wife and will always be together grows. Ethan mentions that this was the night they were to have gone sledding, and suggests that they go the following night. They discuss the dangerous elm tree, and Ethan feels sure of his ability to protect Mattie from danger.
What happens after Mattie and Ethan supper?
After supper, Mattie sews while Ethan smokes his pipe and sits by the fire. Ethan wishes this scene of domestic bliss would go on forever. But he can't see Mattie where she is sitting so he tells her to sit in Zeena 's rocking-chair. When she does, Ethan is unsettled to see Zeena's face superimposed on Mattie's.
What is Mattie's reaction to Ethan kissing Mattie?
The scene ends on an unresolved note: Mattie's ambivalent reaction to Ethan's kiss may communicate her discomfort or her longing for Ethan to act more decisively.
What does Mattie blush about?
He feels that he has crossed a line: inside the house he shares with Zeena, Mattie seems unapproachable. The two talk about Ruth and Ned's upcoming marriage and Ethan, thinking of Denis Eady, says darkly that it will be Mattie's turn to marry next.
Do Mattie and Ethan get together?
Ethan and Mattie finally get a night alone together, and they spend it in domestic, rather than physical, bliss. Ethan, with his strict morals, doesn't want to have an affair with Mattie. He wants to be married to her. But marriage is impossible because he's already married to Zeena, as the superimposed faces show.
What does Ethan do when Jotham drives up with the sorrel horse?
When Jotham drives up with the sorrel horse, which he has borrowed to carry some goods home to his wife, Ethan tries to persuade him to stay for supper, knowing Zeena will be less likely to make a scene if Jotham is present. Jotham, who normally would not turn down a free meal, refuses politely, and Ethan wonders what passed between him and Zeena on the drive home. When he re-enters the kitchen Mattie has set the table and it looks as welcoming as the night before.
What does Ethan tell Mattie about the pickle dish?
Ethan tells Mattie he will fix the pickle-dish later than night after Zeena has gone to bed. Zeena's silence is ominous. It makes Ethan's optimism that he'll get a chance to fix the pickle-dish seem naïve, and his efforts to protect Mattie seem doomed to failure. Active Themes.
What does Ethan drive home in the rain?
Ethan drives home in the rain, hoping to beat Zeena and Jotham back to the farm. When he sees that the sorrel horse is not in the barn he believes he and Mattie are alone. More obstacles hinder Ethan's efforts to prevent Zeena from finding out about him and Mattie.
Why does Ethan justify his cowardly inaction?
Ethan justifies his cowardly inaction on the grounds that he doesn't want to change anything for the worse. It's clear that Ethan's lack of success is in large part his own fault. Ethan tells Mattie he will be back from the mill in time for dinner.
Where does Ethan go after dinner?
After dinner, Ethan hurries to the village with the logs, then to Michael Eady 's store for the glue. Denis Eady is unable to locate any glue, so Ethan goes to Mrs. Homan 's store, where after some delay a bottle of glue is found. Ethan drives home in the rain, hoping to beat Zeena and Jotham back to the farm.
What does the sleet interfere with in the thaw?
While the thaw, which occurs simultaneously with Zeena's absence, at first seems to signal an improvement over the frigid cold of previous chapters, the sleet interferes with Ethan's search for glue. After dinner, Ethan hurries to the village with the logs, then to Michael Eady 's store for the glue.
Does Mattie leave the house?
Mattie, for her part, is unable to leave the house and must rely on Ethan to save her from Zeena's wrath. However, when Ethan bursts into the kitchen Mattie tells him Zeena has returned and has gone upstairs without saying a word. Ethan tells Mattie he will fix the pickle-dish later than night after Zeena has gone to bed.