... Ethan Frome's plot is concerned with Ethan's desire for a women who is not his wife. By denying Zeena a single positive attribute while presenting Mattie as the epitome of glowing, youthful attractiveness, Wharton renders Ethan's desire to cheat on his wife perfectly understandable. The conflict does not stem from within ... is distinguished by little other than the red decoration she wears, which symbolises both passion and transgression. Mattie's surname is Silver, which is also a symbol used by the author to suggest how precious she is to Ethan but also used to suggest betrayal ... ...

• Word Count: 1560
• Approx Pages: 6

... " (36). Throughout the entire story, Zeena is described as sickly. She is a hypochondriac who takes medicine and visits doctors all the time causing Ethan to become attracted to Mattie Silver, Zeena's cousin and caretaker during her illnesses. What attraction Ethan has to Zeena is lost. Zeena is so dreadful that Ethan tries to forget what she looks like. Wharton ... clutched the quilt, and deepened fantastically the hollows and prominences of her high-boned face under its ring of crimping-pins. (27) She is a detestable sight to Ethan and Mattie. In Wharton's description of Ethan's feelin...

• Word Count: 663
• Approx Pages: 3
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... with a tortured expression on his face. Ethan is a sensitive character with a deep appreciation for nature, and who is drawn to the beauty and vitality of Mattie Silver, his wife's younger cousin. Though Ethan would rather leave Starkfield, poverty and the responsibility to care for his wife force him to stay. Towards the end ... decides to try suicide instead of face the consequences of any other decisions he has made. He survives and spends the next 24 years caring for Mattie and Zeena. "He was too young, too strong, too full of the sap of living, to submit so easily to the destruction ...

• Word Count: 700
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

... of a stronger arm -(15) So to accommodate Zeena, a cousin by the name of Mattie Silver comes to assist Zeena with daily chores. Mattie, being a young and robust girl, is seen as "inefficient- and having "no natural turn for housekeeping- (15). Mattie, also, "was quick to learn, but forgetful and dreamy, and not disposed to take ... like, Ethan takes a great liking to her: "The two leaned forward at the same moment and their hands met on the handle of the jug. Mattie's hand was underneath, and Ethan kept his clasped on it a moment longer than was necessary- (35). Trouble begins to brew i...

• Word Count: 833
• Approx Pages: 3
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... exactly like the novel's; cold, quiet, isolated, and downtrodden. While Neeson's appearance was nearly flawless, some definite flaws can be found in Patricia Arquette's character, Mattie Silver. The Mattie portrayed in the film seems very querulous and annoying, like a spoiled little princess, while in the novel she takes on a more happy role, with bright ... she doesn't get what she wants, but has a noticeable spring in her step and is feeling better the day that Mattie is supposed to leave. The Zeena portrayed in the movie was just as I had imagined the Zeena in the novel. The casting...

• Word Count: 614
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

... between his love for another and his devotion to his wife. Ethan's sickly wife, Zeena Frome, has her own battles with diseases, poverty, and her relationship with her distant husband. Mattie Silver, alone and unwanted, can only find refuge in the arms of Ethan, the only person who has ever shown her kindness. Several themes are revealed in Ethan Frome. The most ... winter. Winter, a season symbolizing death and frost, is perhaps the only time of year that this story could have taken place. Only in the harshness of winter could Ethan and Mattie plummet from a sled into an enormous elm. O...

• Word Count: 530
• Approx Pages: 2
• Has Bibliography