Ethan Frome
Marriage in the Early 1900s
Marriage in the 1900s compared to 2017 contrasts significantly, however, some aspects remain. In the early 1900s, people were expected to get married at early ages and divorce was almost never acceptable. Although divorce was frowned upon during this age, it was not unknown to the people. Divorce was only acceptable in certain cases. The typical age of marriage in the early 1900s varied from teenage years to one’s early twenties. Religion had a significant impact on how marriages operated back then. An example of this would have been a typical Christian couple who followed what the Bible taught. Due to this, divorce was severely frowned upon and not an option. Other factors that influenced marriage were social norms of the time as well as pop culture. Individual desire and personal obligation certainly fueled decisions regarding marriage because if somebody wanted to do something and felt like they needed to do it, other influential factors of the time would push them to do it. In the early 1900s, marital issues were either solved in the household, or by religious means. On the contrary, most people today either divorce or take legal action if a dispute becomes unsolvable. In continuation, women's role in a marriage of the early 1900s included them staying at home, taking care of household chores and the children. One such role that would have been expected of women would have been to always have dinner prepared for their husband upon his return from work. Today, if a marriage turns unhappy, people may try to solve their marital problems by divorce or counseling. All in all, marriage in the 1900s while very strict, is not too much different from today except for the fact the role of women has shifted from keeping the house tidy to helping provide for the family alongside the husband in the labor force.
Connection to Outside Works:
How to Read Literature Like a College Professor
In Ethan Frome, Edith Wharton portrays the effects of winter and how these effects present barriers that can only be broken by a strong individual. Throughout the beginning and middle of the novella, Ethan is a weak man mentally, yet as the story progresses, he begins to grow stronger. In these parts of the plot, winter presents obstacles that Ethan cannot yet break through. On the contrary, the end of Ethan Frome displays a character unlike the weak man seen earlier. Ethan Frome took the obstacles presented by winter and grew from them, making himself strong and able to conquer any other blockades that were in his path. In the early plot of the novella, Ethan Frome is continually stumped by the obstacles winter throws at him. As the novella progresses, these obstacles shape Ethan into the strong ending character: “Great was her amazement, and that of old Mrs. Varnum, on learning that [...] [Ethan] had taken me in for the night” (Wharton 66). Mrs. Varnum’s surprise at Frome’s actions was to do with the history she had known about him. Allowing some stranger to stay in his own home overnight seemed nothing like the Ethan she knew. In continuation, in How to Read Literature Like a Professor, Thomas Foster exemplifies how winter takes a toll on people: “[...] he’s entered a quieter period than his youth had been. November in the bones; it makes my joints ache just thinking about it” (Foster 184). Even in November, when winter is just starting to be noticed, the damage already begins. Foster states that even the thought of this season is damaging. Much like Foster informs, Ethan Frome’s life was severely damaged by winter. Frome struggles immensely trying to move on in life, but winter continues to weigh him down. Through these hardships, however, Ethan Frome grows and becomes strong enough to overcome winter. Ethan is much like the man Foster described: They both are transformed by winter.
Throughout Ethan Frome, the image of a pickle appears. To Ethan Frome, pickles are the only thing that he believes to have ownership of. Everything else seems to be controlled by his wife, Zenobia Frome. While Ethan chooses to believe this, Zeena actually does have control over everything in his life. In the novella, Wharton writes “A dead cucumber-vine dangled from the porch like the crape streamer tied to the door for a death [...]” (Wharton 19). Later in the book, Ethan and Mattie Silver share a dinner together involving fresh pickles. Ethan describes this scene as a glorious night with no imperfections. One of the foods exemplified during their night was a dish of pickles. Because Ethan could not yet see that Zenobia had complete control over his life, the pickles represented freedom for her wrath. With the pickles, Ethan could be unaffected by anything Zeena threw his way. Of course, however, Zeena does have control over him during this time. As referenced in an earlier quote, a “dead cucumber-vine dangled from the porch.” The symbol of the dead vine shows that Zeena has removed Ethan’s freedom even before the perfect night. The dead vine means that cucumbers could not be harvested from it, allowing no pickles to be made, and adding an imperfection on Ethan’s night. In the novella, Ethan is the cucumber-vine: dead before anything could be harvested from it. In connection, Foster writes “[...] a symbol can’t be reduced to standing for only one thing” (Foster 105). This symbol of the pickle in Ethan Frome not only stands for Zeena’s power over Ethan, but it also represents Ethan as a character. Symbols in works of literature cannot solely be tied down to one meaning due to the fact that every reader will perceive symbols differently.
Throughout Ethan Frome, the image of a pickle appears. To Ethan Frome, pickles are the only thing that he believes to have ownership of. Everything else seems to be controlled by his wife, Zenobia Frome. While Ethan chooses to believe this, Zeena actually does have control over everything in his life. In the novella, Wharton writes “A dead cucumber-vine dangled from the porch like the crape streamer tied to the door for a death [...]” (Wharton 19). Later in the book, Ethan and Mattie Silver share a dinner together involving fresh pickles. Ethan describes this scene as a glorious night with no imperfections. One of the foods exemplified during their night was a dish of pickles. Because Ethan could not yet see that Zenobia had complete control over his life, the pickles represented freedom for her wrath. With the pickles, Ethan could be unaffected by anything Zeena threw his way. Of course, however, Zeena does have control over him during this time. As referenced in an earlier quote, a “dead cucumber-vine dangled from the porch.” The symbol of the dead vine shows that Zeena has removed Ethan’s freedom even before the perfect night. The dead vine means that cucumbers could not be harvested from it, allowing no pickles to be made, and adding an imperfection on Ethan’s night. In the novella, Ethan is the cucumber-vine: dead before anything could be harvested from it. In connection, Foster writes “[...] a symbol can’t be reduced to standing for only one thing” (Foster 105). This symbol of the pickle in Ethan Frome not only stands for Zeena’s power over Ethan, but it also represents Ethan as a character. Symbols in works of literature cannot solely be tied down to one meaning due to the fact that every reader will perceive symbols differently.
Further Analysis
In Ethan Frome, there are a number of parallel scenes in which two episodes suggest a close comparison of events so that important differences emerge between the scenes. One such pair of parallel scenes include the dinner scene. In the original dinner scene with Ethan and Mattie, the night is portrayed as almost perfect: “She [Mattie] stood aside, smiling silently, while he entered, and then moved away from him with something soft and flowing in her gait. She set the lamp on the table, and he saw that it was carefully laid for supper, with fresh doughnuts, stewed blueberries and his favourite pickles in a dish of gay red glass” (Wharton 31). In many similarities, the dinner scene the next day appears to reflect what happened the night before: “When he re-entered the kitchen the lamp lit up the same scene of shining comfort as on the previous evening. The table had been carefully laid, a clear fire glowed in the stove, the cat dozed in its warmth, and Mattie came forward carrying a plate of doughnuts. She and Ethan looked at each other in silence; then she said, as she said the night before: ‘I guess it’s about time for supper’” (Wharton 40). Both dinner scenes start out with the silence of Mattie Silver as Ethan enters the room. The food provided appears to be the same, but unlike the first dinner, the second had no special dish for pickles. The food in the first scene represents Mattie and Ethan; Mattie as the glorious, delicious doughnut, while Ethan is the crunchy, crisp pickle displayed in a fine dish. The presence of Zeena in the second scene removes this specialty of food on fancy dishes or displayed specially. Much like the food, when Ethan and Mattie become in the presence of Zenobia Frome, their specialness seems to drain away, leaving nothing but ordinary people. Furthermore, as Ethan enters into the second dinner scene, Mattie does not appear as the most beautiful figure in Ethan’s mind as she did in the first scene. This again relates to the effect that Zeena has on the lives of these two lovers.
Critical Analysis
In Adventure by Sherwood Anderson, two lovers seem to be the perfect match for each other. This all seems to be true until one day when the man realizes that he does not want to marry the lady. With this in mind, the couple went out together and the man forgot all that he had decided and fell back into a trap he had created for himself with the girl. This story presented by Anderson is much like the story of Ethan Frome’s life. When Mattie Silver first enters the story, Ethan is in awe of her. Ethan loved Mattie, and after a while, Mattie began to love Ethan. However, much like in Anderson’s story, Ethan realizes that life with Mattie will be no less miserable than it already is with Zenobia. Due to this, Ethan tries to stray from Mattie, however, gets distracted and pulled back into his own love trap. This leads Ethan to attempt suicide with Mattie, causing Ethan’s life to be forever ruined by the girl he loved.
Throughout Ethan Frome, the image of a pickle appears. To Ethan Frome, pickles are the only thing that he believes to have ownership of. Everything else seems to be controlled by his wife, Zenobia Frome. While Ethan chooses to believe this, Zeena actually does have control over everything in his life. In the novella, Wharton writes “A dead cucumber-vine dangled from the porch like the crape streamer tied to the door for a death [...]” (Wharton 19). Later in the book, Ethan and Mattie Silver share a dinner together involving fresh pickles. Ethan describes this scene as a glorious night with no imperfections. One of the foods exemplified during their night was a dish of pickles. Because Ethan could not yet see that Zenobia had complete control over his life, the pickles represented freedom for her wrath. With the pickles, Ethan could be unaffected by anything Zeena threw his way. Of course, however, Zeena does have control over him during this time. As referenced in an earlier quote, a “dead cucumber-vine dangled from the porch.” The symbol of the dead vine shows that Zeena has removed Ethan’s freedom even before the perfect night. The dead vine means that cucumbers could not be harvested from it, allowing no pickles to be made, and adding an imperfection on Ethan’s night. In the novella, Ethan is the cucumber-vine: dead before anything could be harvested from it. In connection, Foster writes “[...] a symbol can’t be reduced to standing for only one thing” (Foster 105). This symbol of the pickle in Ethan Frome not only stands for Zeena’s power over Ethan, but it also represents Ethan as a character. Symbols in works of literature cannot solely be tied down to one meaning due to the fact that every reader will perceive symbols differently.
Works Cited
Anderson, Sherwood. Adventure. 1919.
“How Marriage Has Changed over Centuries.” All You Need to Know about Everything That Matters, 1 June 2012, theweek.com/articles/475141/how-marriage-changed-over-centuries
Rauso, Olivia. “Marriage and Expectations in Early 1900s.” Prezi.com, 12 Feb. 2016, prezi.com/aygrxs8j2gkz/marriage-and-expectations-in-early-1900s/.
Foster, Thomas C. How to Read Literature Like a College Professor. Revised Edition ed., Harper Perennial.
Wharton, Edith. Ethan Frome. Black and White Classics, 2015.