With special reference to Edith Wharton's use of language, show how the New England Setting and its associated imagery contributes to the power of "Ethan Frome".
The town in which the novella is set is appropriately named Starkfield, instantly insinuating a bare, barren and desolate landscape. An early interpretation given by a native, " Guess he's been in Starkfield too many winters. Most of the smart ones get away", makes the narrator experience " the sinister force of the town". Wharton uses and then repeats this phrase to pose questions about Starkfield, Ethan Frome, and the significance of winter. This results in an initial reaction, which subconsciously causes the reader to judge the town before any actual evidence has been given. Wharton uses this device to intensify the findings about the town as the first impression of a "stark" community is correct.
Here, Wharton also allows the narrator to explore possible explanations, "Before my own time there was up I had learned to know what that meant". This sounds very negative, as though the narrator is trapped in a prison-like environment where "Most of the smart ones get away". This provides a possible explanation to Starkfield's effect on people. Evidence emphasising this includes many metallic references, such as, "long bars" and "iron flanks". However the most effective is "metallic dome overhead", as by representing the sky it creates a hard, cold, trapped atmosphere. Wharton creates this subliminal feeling, allowing it evidently to develop as we learn more about Ethan and how he is "a prisoner for life". .
Winter appears to be a great influence on Starkfield. Wharton uses winter to imply cold, harsh weather, thus creating more opportunities to express a wide range of emotions ranging from turbulence, "a landscape chaotically tossed", possibly used to signify anger or upset; to serenity, "the glitter of the winter shines", perhaps showing contentment.
