Our book group choice for January 2009 is Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton. Ethan Frome, a poor, downtrodden New England farmer is trapped in a loveless marriage to his invalid wife, Zeena. His ambition and intelligence are oppressed by Zeena’s cold, conniving character.
Ethan Frome is a novella by Edith Wharton, first published in 1911. It is a tragedy of unfulfilled love and thwarted ambition, set in the fictional town of Starkfield, Massachusetts. The story is told in the form of a framed narrative, in which an unnamed narrator recounts the events of Ethan Frome’s life after meeting him during a winter stay in Starkfield.
The narrator first encounters Ethan Frome as a “tall, wasted man” with a “careless powerful look … in spite of a lameness checking each step like the jerk of a chain.” The narrator is intrigued by Ethan’s appearance and demeanor, and he begins to question the townspeople about his history. He learns that Ethan is a lifelong resident of Starkfield, and that he has been married for 20 years to Zeena, a “sickly” woman who is “always nagging” him. Ethan also has a cousin named Mattie Silver, who came to live with him and Zeena a few years ago to help out with the household chores.
The narrator soon learns that Ethan and Mattie are in love, but their love is doomed by the circumstances of their lives. Zeena is a demanding and controlling wife, and she would never allow Ethan to leave her. Mattie is also trapped in Starkfield, as she has no other family or friends. The two lovers are forced to live in secret, and their only hope of escape is to run away together.
One winter night, Ethan and Mattie decide to attempt to escape. They go sledding down a steep hill, hoping to reach the train station in time to catch a train to another town. However, tragedy ensues.
The novella is written in a spare and understated style. Wharton’s prose is elegant and evocative, and she creates a vivid portrait of Starkfield, a place where “life goes on in a frozen rut.” The story is also notable for its use of symbolism.
Ethan Frome Discussion Questions
- Discuss the three characters. Do you find Zeena’s shrewishness believable? Does Ethan control his life, or do life’s events control him?
- Is Mattie a sympathetic character?
- Mattie wears red when we readers first see/meet her. What does the red signifiy?
- Discuss Mattie’s and Ethan’s decision in the sleigh—an act of desperation, clearly. Is it justified, immoral, unethical, irresponsible? Or the only honorable way out of an untenable situation?
- Discuss the ending—in what way is it ironic? How do you feel about Ethan’s final situation?
- What are the themes of Ethan Frome?
- What is the central conflict of the novel?
- How does the setting of Starkfield contribute to the story?
- What is the role of the narrator in the novel?
- What are the different ways in which Ethan and Mattie are trapped?
- How does Ethan’s relationship with Zeena change over the course of the novel?
- What is the significance of the accident at the end of the novel?
- What does the novel say about the nature of love, marriage, and happiness?
- How does Ethan Frome compare to other works of American literature?
- What is the significance of the title, Ethan Frome?
- What is the symbolism of the snow in the novel?
- What is the role of music in the novel?
- How does the novel reflect the social and economic conditions of its time?
- What is the legacy of Ethan Frome?
- What is your interpretation of the novel’s ending?