Free Essays on Whartons Ethan Frome: Responsibilities :: Ethan Frome Essays

Ethan Frome - Responsibilities Ethan Frome is the main character of Edith Whartons sad novel. Ethan lives the bitterness of his callownesss lost opportunities, and dissatisfaction with his joyless life and acquit marriage. Throughout the story Ethan is trapped by social limits and obligations to his wife. He lives an sorrowful life with many responsibilities and little freedom. Ethan Frome studied science in college for a year and probably would have succeeded as an engineer or physicist had he not been summoned home to run the family farm and mill. Ethan quickly ended his school and went to run the family farm and mill because he feels it is his responsibility. He marries Zeena after the termination of his mother, in an unsuccessful attempt to escape silence, isolation, and loneliness. Ethan also feels the responsibility to wed Zeena as a way to compensate her for giving up farewell of her life to nurse his mother. After marring Zeena he forgets his hope of every act his education and he is now forced to remain married to somebody he does not truly love. Several Years after their marriage, first cousin Mattie Silver is asked to relieve Zeena, who is constantly ill, of her house hold duties. Ethan finds himself falling in love with Mattie, drawn to her youthful energy, as, The pure air, and the long summer hours in the open, gave life and elasticity to Mattie. Ethan is attracted to Mattie because she is the opposite of Zeena, while Mattie is young, happy, healthy, and beautiful like the summer, Zeena is sevensome years older than Ethan, bitter, ugly and sickly cold like the winter. Zeenas strong dominating personality undermines Ethan, while Matties feminine, lively youth makes Ethan fell like a real man. Ethan and Mattie finally express their skin senses for each other while Zeena is visiting the doctor, and are forced to locution the painful reality that their dreams of being together can not grapple true. The return to reality was as painful as the return to awareness after taking and anaesthetic. His body and brain ached with indescribable weariness, and he could not think of nothing to say or do that would arrest the afflictive flight of the moments He desperately wanted to run away with Mattie, moreover he could not leave because his practical sense told him it was not equal to do so partly because of his responsibility to take care of Zeena.