Seminar in
American Literature
RESOURCES



Edith Wharton,
Ethan Frome

-Discussion Questions:
1. The Prologue introduces the frame narrator. Why do you think Wharton chose to employ this technique?  What do we learn about him? What might be ironic about the fact that he is an engineer? What similarities does he share with Ethan?
2. The setting/wintertime: how does it play a role in this story?
3. Ch. I: What do we learn about Ethan's own personality here? How is Ethan's affection for Mattie explained?  What do we learn about the dynamics of Ethan and Zeena's marriage?
4. How does Wharton employ foreshadowing effectively in this novella?
5. Ch. III: How are Mattie and Zeena contrasted physically and psychologically?
6. Ethan and Mattie's evening together alone in Ch. V: what are the key events in it?
7. In Chs. VIII-IX, Ethan weighs his options. How is his decision to stay rather than run away with Mattie in keeping with his personality?
8. The Epilogue: How does it surprise us? What are its ironies?
(Provided by Charlotte Rich, Eastern Kentucky University)

-Classroom Issues & Strategies (Elizabeth Ammons)
-Contemporary Review of Ethan Frome
-The Edith Wharton Discussion Board
-Edith Wharton & the Gilded Age Writers (C-Span)
-Edith Wharton's World (Smithsonian Institution)
-Selected Bibliography (Perspectives in American Literature)
-Teachers' Bulletin Board: Teaching Ethan Frome
-Teacher's Guide to Ethan Frome (Wendy H. Bell)
-Teacher's Novel Guide: Ethan Frome (McDougall Littell)
-Teacher's Resource Page (Grace Lee)

More Discussion Questions:

1.Why does the novel begin from the point of view of an
outsider? What are the differences between insiders and
outsiders for Wharton? In what ways is Mattie an outsider to
the Frome household? In what ways is she an insider?

2.This novel is full of odd names. Consider, Zenobia, Mattie
Silver, Harmon Gow, etc. What significance can be
attributed to names? What do they symbolize and reveal
about the novel?

3.In what ways does this novel conform to your idea of a
tragedy? What are the elements of tragedy? Do you see
these elements at work here?

4.Zeena is a villain. Agree or disagree. How does the novel
portray her? Do we ever feel sympathy for her?

5.What is this novel's attitude toward the role of women?
They seem confined to traditional roles, but are there other
ways in which they behave untraditionally? Would you
consider this a feminist novel?

6.Consider the setting of the novel. How does it effect our
interpretation of the novel? In what ways is setting
important?

7.What does the suicide attempt symbolize in the novel? What
does it reflect about the emotional states of the characters
in the novel? Try to think beyond the obvious here.

8.Numerous characters in this novel fall ill or have other
physical, physiological or psychological problems. What
function does illness play? Is there any hope for health?
What would good health mean?

9.The novel of course ends in tragedy. Whose fault is it? Or
does this novel allow the reader to think about blame at all?
What causes the tragedy? Are any of the characters more
responsible than others for it?

10.Consider the author's tone and style. How would you
describe them? In what ways does it contribute to the
telling of the story? How might it have been written
differently?
(questions prepared by John Lee at CollegeClub.com.)

Aimée C. Taylor
English 7758
Dr. Nordquist
June 26, 2002 

Outside Looking In, Inside Wanting Out 

Wharton, Edith. Ethan Frome. New York: Scribners, 1986.

       Although the novel is a quick read, the text is full of fantastic details that beckon to be examined more closely. Even the title lends itself to scrutiny. At first glance it is merely the name of a man. However, the name defines the main character’s personality and actions. “Ethan” means firmness, strength, steadfast, strong and reliable. Such traits take on a variety of meanings throughout the novel for Ethan. In addition, his last name implies “from”, which leads us to question exactly from where does Ethan gain his strength to endure in such a hopeless situation? At the same time, the title also focuses the reader on the importance of this character. The novel is not just about who Ethan is but more of an explanation as to how he became what he is now, mainly based on tragic irony, bad luck, and his environment.

     Wharton masterfully draws the reader in by manipulating the frame story. First, she establishes credibility for the narrator by not mentioning that he is an outsider. The narrator explains his desire to solve the mystery surrounding Ethan Frome, which creates suspense and hooks the reader. The narrator then presents the pieces of the puzzle that he has pieced together, further establishing his credibility by mentioning the locals who have shared the intimate information. The narrator comes across as both compassionate and honest in his delivery. He has not obtained the information easily, but through steadfast observation and inquiry. After the reader feels comfortable with the narrator, then Wharton acknowledges that he is really an outsider. As an outsider, he is more objective about the subjective view the locals have. He thus becomes even more reliable. Through the narrator’s eyes, the reader is introduced to Ethan Frome, and through his rides with Ethan; the reader too is privy to his appearance, manners, and a few thoughts. By then, the narrator has set the reader up to hear the “story” of Ethan’s misfortune. Because the reader now trusts the narrator, it is never doubted that the events happened exactly as presented.  He is simply telling the truth. The heartbreaking, realistic account begins.

     The setting is immediately established. The town “Starkfield” is just that- blunt, barren, harsh, grim, severe, hard. It is a miracle that anyone survives such a brutal environment. The ground is not productive, the buildings are falling down, there is barely enough timber to build with let alone be used as fuel, and pleasantries are hard to come by. Ethan’s wife is sick, which of course is both an understatement and ironic as events unfold. Not only are the Fromes isolated from town because of distance, but also they are isolated from people in general, rarely receiving mail or visitors. The town itself has also been isolated from other areas because transportation and communication are just now being introduced, in part with the assistance of the narrator. The town was always isolated not just during the fierce winter storms.

     How are the characters socially constructed and dramatized? Ethan’s isolation is nicely paralleled with the stark town as the story progresses. Mattie is like a modern convenience-real communication-which allows Ethan to become less remote-until the “smash-up”. Even in the opening, the characters are dramatized through their social roles. How is each portrayed and why? Ethan is a sympathetic character because he is portrayed as a compassionate, intelligent, but unlucky man. The townspeople pity him and like him because they know the whole story. He did make it out of town but just briefly. His escape form Starkfield becomes a curse, a sentence. While away for a year at a technical college, Ethan gets enough of an education to make him aware of how much more he needs to learn. When he returns home to care for his mother after his father’s demise, his curiosity for learning cruelly goes unfulfilled but still exists. It is a constant reminder of what he is missing out on-knowledge and experiences. He was a smart man because he knew he had to leave to grow. He was unlucky because he became trapped in a stifling world. Now, he no longer feels smart, lucky, loved, or complete. His sentence is to endure in a harsh world where the woman he settled for and the woman he loved have eerily switched roles.

     The initial description of Ethan’s house is sadly appropriate for the unlucky man. The house is missing the typical New England “L”-the center of the house. His house is missing a “heart”-plausible when his wife is introduced because there is no humanity, compassion, or even life in her eyes. The house is only inviting when she is gone. It is understandable why Ethan’s affections have turned toward Mattie.

     Ethan’s love for Mattie is genuine but obviously problematic. She is the typical orphan found so often in novels. Mattie Silver fits her name as well. She is precious, cute, and not completely aware of her beauty. She is easily embarrassed by attention. She is quiet, awkward, scared, and childlike around Zeena; yet, she is flirtatious, talkative, humorous, and insightful around Ethan. She has learned to adapt to these two different worlds. Nothing she does for Zeena pleases Zeena. Anything she does for Ethan lights up his eyes. Mattie, like Ethan, is a victim of circumstances. She does not make any decisions herself except the fateful sled run. She becomes the heart of the house for Ethan. While the snow is cold, sterile, white, and menacing, Mattie is warm, pure, dark haired, and engaging. She is a welcome contrast to his cold world. Ethan and Mattie share passion, dreams, romance, and each other because they communicate, even though their communication is limited because of societal restrictions on what is proper, they can read each other’s thoughts.

     Zeena is the character everyone loves to hate. Readers quickly form a bond with Ethan, seeing how hard he works for just small pleasures such as walking Mattie home. He goes without to ensure that Zeena does not. Not once has he forbidden her from seeing yet another doctor and trying a new remedy. He just gives. Zeena cannot even be civil to those we do for her without complaints. Even the townspeople know that she is a hypochondriac, but they still ask about her to be polite. She forms a strange alliance it seems with the harsh surroundings to slowly drain the life out of Ethan. Zeena is manipulative and very smart. She knows when Ethan is happy and works quickly and matter-of-factly to destroy his good humor. She speaks without being devious which makes her all the more evil. She feigns illnesses but with a humble air of humility. She is Ethan’s “despair” while Mattie is his “joy” (46).

     Why are we so free to judge these characters? Wharton has created a remote dying town with few redeeming qualities. Because she has presented not just this world but also its inhabitants with almost cruel honesty, we feel compelled to befriend Mattie and Ethan because not doing so makes us worse than outsiders. We want to become insiders so we too can understand the delicacies that have left Ethan a broken man. We have joined the adventure of putting the pieces of the puzzle together. We are vested in the outcome because she leads us to care about the characters.

     How has Wharton created such a world? First of all, Wharton has established characters directly linked to the major themes of isolation/alienation, regret/unfulfilled dreams, need to love and be loved, stereotypical gender roles, life vs. death, etc. She conveys these intertwining themes through a rich vocabulary, dark and dreary descriptions, realistic characters, and specific regional qualities. In a condensed, direct style, Wharton reveals just enough details to keep the reader intrigued. He words are elevated but appropriate at the same time. For instance, the opening describes Ethan’s “taciturnity” which is perfect (5). He is not just quiet; he encompasses a profound silence by choice.   When Ethan follows Zeena upstairs, he follows “up in his wife’s wake, and followed her across the threshold of their room” (55).  The play on the word wake is chilling, as Ethan dreams of her dying so that he will be free to marry Mattie. He certainly is under her watchful eye while in the house. The use of “threshold” implies, ironically, a consummation of their marriage, as they enter to go to bed. The mere thought gives Ethan chills. His only comfort comes in his dreams as he imagines himself with Mattie.

     Wharton pays close attention to color imagery, symbols that foreshadow tragic twists, and a growing foreboding sense of doom. The winter weather is described not just in terms of temperature but more in terms of color, especially shades of gray. This is intensified with Zeena’s sickness, Ethan’s father’s death, his mother’s slow decay, and the weathering of the house. The gray and yellow outside world is contrasted with the “pure” description of Mattie, Ethan, and darkness. It is a strange contrast because only when the two are together is the snow referred to as pure, white, glittering, pretty. When they are miserable, so are the descriptions of the weather. Even the presence of the moon centers on Mattie and Ethan being together. Consider the following excerpts:

                          The night was perfectly still, and the air so dry and pure that it gave little

sensation of cold. The effect produced on Frome was rather of a complete

atmosphere, as though nothing less tenuous than ether intervened between

the white earth under his feet and the metallic dome overhead. (27)[Ethan

is on his way to get Mattie. He is so happy that it is as if his senses have

been dulled concerning the temperature. He is more aware of this floating

sensation as he eagerly anticipates the tingling feelings his has when he

just sees her .He is intoxicated with the hope of being with Mattie. The

night is perfect.]  

In contrast, when he fears he is losing Mattie for good, the descriptions change, darken:

                          He fell asleep, and when he woke the chill of the winter dawn was in the

room. He felt cold and stiff and hungry, and ashamed of being hungry. He

rubbed his eyes and went to the window. A red sun stood over the grey

rim of the fields, behind trees that looked black and brittle…and tried to

think what the place would be without her. (135)[Ethan’s melancholy and

futile ache for Mattie appeals   to emotions. He is now pathetic, alone,

needy. Mattie is the only one who can save him. His life is grey, hopeless,

and he does end up “black and brittle”, just a shell of a broken man. By

loving Mattie, he creates their tragic destiny.]

      How does Wharton make the story plausible enough for the narrator to take such a huge interest in a crumbled man’s life?  Our narrator immediately begins to understand why the townspeople act as they do.  “I chafed at first, and then, under the hypnotising effect of routine, gradually began to find a grim satisfaction in the life. During the early part of my stay I had been struck by contrast between the vitality of the climate and the deadness of the community” (8). The vitality is in the power of the weather and the deadness is in how it dominates what kind of routine the people have. Familiarity becomes comforting because there are no surprises.

     By creating specific gender roles based on the time period, Wharton also shows just how depressing and restrictive life was for women. Even Zeena is trapped. She marries Ethan because it was expected. She takes in Mattie, even if for selfish reasons, to uphold family obligations. Likewise, Ethan marries Zeena because the thought of staying in that dreadful house alone terrifies him. Never once is the word “love” mentioned.

     Daily chores are divided based on the man working outside and the woman working inside. The variation here is that poor Mattie is not very good at her womanly roles, and Ethan must pitch in to save her from Zeena’s wrath. She does enjoy looking pretty and dancing at the church socials. She is feminine because she attempts to fulfill her role. She is expected to marry, have children, and take care of the house. Yet, Mattie could not work a city girl’s job of working in a store either. She is frail in abilities but strong on personality and compassion.

     Zeena is her opposite, but because she has chosen to be sickly, she actually manipulates the system of gender biases while also portraying a weak woman. She gets out of doing chores by being sick. At the same time, she criticizes Mattie for not doing the chores well. She is aware of the finances and only plays dumb to get more information out of Ethan. She reads numerous medical books. She is selfish, cold-hearted, sneaky, but consistent.  

     Ethan also falls short in his abilities to be a provider. He works non-stop but never gets ahead. Society expected him to take over his father’s farm, but no one every asked what he wanted to do if money was not an option.  He is a thinking man trapped in a manual labor world. He is also trapped in a loveless marriage that he put himself in knowingly. He is partly to blame for his own misery.

     Why does the story work? Wharton creates a painful, gripping tale of “what could have been”. The characters’ pain and self-loathing make the reader live vicariously for a brief moment. The twist is in the actual suffering, as the energy is in the details and not in the resolution of the conflict.   A happy ending is not realistic because of the frame narrative’s structure. We know that Ethan ends up bruised and aged. We know that he remains in the ever-disintegrating shell of a house. We know that he is miserable. We also know that is as it must be. His challenge is to outlive Zeena and Mattie, only then will his suffering at least ease.

Question to consider:

1. Why does Zeena become the caretaker at the end?
2. Who do you feel most sorry for and why?
3. What specific literary devices are used to convey mood?
4. Is Ethan being selfish for not wanting Mattie to marry someone else? Why? How?
5. Why does Mrs. Hale avoid Ethan now?
6. In what ways do the three main characters defy stereotypes?
7. Trace the word “pure” throughout the novel and detail the usage?
8. What is the significance of the moon? What color is used to describe it and why?
9. If Ethan is so miserable, why does he still sleep with Zeena?
10. Why does the sled not hit the elm hard enough to kill Mattie and Ethan? Does he flinch? Why do they survive?