Ethan Frome :: essays papers

Ethan Frome In the novel Ethan Frome, the endorser is presented with the character of Ethan, who seems to throw wrong and profligate acts throughout the book. From lust to lies, we see Ethan seemingly jump from one ejaculate to the next. But one can only say these things more or less Ethan if they befool a severe case of tunnel vision. If one looks at the inherent character that is Ethan, he can see that while Ethan may commit immoral acts, he is a character that the reader reacts to in a very sympathetic way. At the beginning of Ethans story, the reader is told about a man who is in love with his wifes cousin. A natural reaction to this idea would be to think that Ethan is a liberal person, a man with no morals. But as the plot develops, we be shown the true nature of Ethan a kind man forced into a marriage with a nagging and bothersome wife. Ethan has spent many days alone with his hypochondriac partner, and the entrance of Mattie into his life is the ray of hope and triumph that he needs to survive. Mattie is not portrayed as a home-wrecking tramp, and in that respectfor the reader feels much differently toward the relationship between Ethan and Mattie than he other than would. Even though his affair with Mattie is most definitely an immoral act, the reader feels sympathetic to his situation. Perhaps in her depiction of the lonely mans situation Warton evokes emotions that the reader has experienced in his own life, therefor causation the reader to become even more sympathetic towards Ethan and his troubles. Even as Ethan is preparing to commit suicide, a sin that is definitely considered immoral, the reader feels both beneficence and relief that Ethan will escape his situation. When the reader finds out that he survived, there is a kind of let down that he will fall out to be tormented in his situation for the rest of his life.