Fairy tail in ethan frome
Some novels although they may not be intended to be, may in fact read like a fairy tail. Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton, is one of those novels. According to Elisabeth Ammons, Wharton seems to base this fictional fairy tale on the familiar American story of Snow White. Elizabeth Ammons clearly states the relation between the two as, ""The emphasis on sevens, the physical appearance of Mattie Silver, her persecutions, by which like Zeena, as well as Mattie’s roll as housekeeper.” (Ammons) The comparison between the two is clear in both the tales of Snow White and Ethan Frome, although the Author may not have meant to tie the two. In order to discover the small events relating Snow White and Ethan Frome on would have to search meticulously, however, after doing so, one will recognize that the view points of Elizabeth Ammons are extraordinarily factual. This fairy tale like novel, based upon Warton’s own life, was in fact used to recreate not only her life story, but also the social structure and landscape of rural New England. One of the most important events in Ethan Frome, which noticeably portrays that of Snow White, is when Zeena’s cat interrupts the deep conversation between Mat
In conclusion, Ammons’ viewpoints effectively show that Snow White and Ethan Frome are comparable in plot as well as events. While Wharton writes the events of her life, unintentionally, she has created a novel similar to the fairy tail of Snow White. Each detail and slight happening taken place in both stories, can be tied together, even the "Emphasis on sevens,"which is in fact the number of years Ethan was married to Zeena compared to the Seven dwarfs in Snow White. All of these similarities between the two stories has caused me to believe that Ethan Frome, in fact can be considered a fairy tail of sorts. In Snow White we discover that the protagonist Snow White is taken in by her wicked stepmother. In order for her to remain under shelter, she must labor under the orders of the owner. Mattie Silver takes on the same role under Zenna’s roof and must similarly slave over Zeena. We detect Mattie’s situation in the following quote, "Mattie, when the meal was over, went about her usual task of clearing the table, and washing the dishes" (128) Mattie’s tasks are stated to be of the norm in the quote, therefore leading one to believe she underwent these tasks each day.
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Approximate Word count = 802
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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