Tuesday, December 14, 2010
All the characters in “Ethan Frome are said to be flawed because it is apart of a Realism writing. Thus making you not feel sympathy for any particular character. This is due to a strict scientific lay out, that seems to just state facts. Find and describe a couple of these flaws or shortcomings in different characters that force you to draw your own conclusions of sympathy for or against someone.
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One of the aspects of Edith Wharton’s writing style is her straightforward and concise language. She does not use flowery language but rather gets right to the point. Because of this layout, Wharton eliminates the emotional attachment to characters. This applies to “Ethan Frome” by Wharton preventing one to have sympathetic feelings for the flawed characters. One example of this would be when the cat broke Zeena’s prized pickle dish “treasure” which Mattie got down from the cabinet Zeena’s “back was turned” (100-101). In this case, Wharton is concise in plot line while displaying primary the setting and actions of the characters without adding input into emotional states of the characters. With just this aspect, one would tend to feel sympathetic for Mattie who appears to be being abused by Zeena. However by Wharton portraying Zeena and Mattie equally, one can understand the importance of the pickle dish to Zeena and how its breaking greatly impacts her. Therefore by Wharton simply describing the scene without delving into the emotions of the characters, she does not focus of one particular character and invoke more sympathy for that character. This aspect of Wharton’s writing style is also displayed at the end of the novel when Ethan returns home with the engineer and the engineer is introduced to the grotesque living situation of Ethan. Ethan “apologetically” entered the house and “hesitantly” introduced the engineer to Zeena and the disfigured Mattie (135-136). Wharton does nothing more than to describe the physical actions and appearances of the characters, revealing the grotesqueness of the family. The previously seemingly crippled Zeena has now become the caregiver to her now disfigured husband and her lover. However, no sympathy is invoked for Zeena because of her previous state and definitely not for Ethan or Mattie because it is their fault that they are disfigured and put themselves in their own positions. Even though the characters in “Ethan Frome” are greatly flawed, Edith Wharton’s clear-cut writing style limits the emotional insight to characters, does not highlight one particular character, and in effect, does not produce any feeling of sympathy toward the characters.
ReplyDeleteEdith Wharton writes from a realist style and uses her characters to portray the realist nature of literature. her novel, "Ethan Frome" is a classic example of realist literature.
ReplyDeleteThe way Wharton portrays her characters lets you judge them for yourself. Ethan is said to have had a "powerful look" inspite of his "lameness" so Ethan is crippled but he also appears powerful so by contradicting the two his character holds many traits. letting you decide how it is you want to feel towards him. Mattie was also described as having the "sweetest nature" around by some people and Zeena, said she was a "bad girl" and felt that she only wanted to break apart Zeena's marriage and destroy the things she loved most. But to Ethan, Mattie was his prized possession. Wharton does not focus on the emotions of the characters or the way the truly feel inside, and by being told from a third person omniscient it allows you to view the characters as you wish, without the author persuading you to feel a certain way. Some people might feel sympathetic towards Mattie and some may feel sympathetic for Zeena. Overall the novel is told in such a way that one might feel indifferent towards all of the characters because the characters are not being "delved" into. Realist literature gives the real world event of how things occurred its dry and to the point, and often focuses more on the event as a whole rather than focusing on key points. Edith Wharton's novel, "Ethan Frome" is a timeless piece of realist literature that will be read for ages as a means of studying the realist style of literature.
Edith Wharton does write in a style consistent with realism and uses very to-the-point and unemotional language but yet still creates sympathy for some of the characters. Since Ethan is the main character and everyone sees the story from his point of view, his feelings are more prominent and seem to be the most important throughout the novel. With Mattie being his love and thought of fndly by Ethan, sympathy is likewise created for her. However, Zeena is thought of by Ethan as being annoying and bitter; thus, she appears to be unworthy of sympathy. Overall, I feel Mattie is the most deservin of sympathy. She starts off being the most innocent out of the three main characters and ends being the most hardened. At the beginning, she is childlike, eager to please, and timid. She tries to not upset Zeena, all while trying to manage her love for Ethan. When Ethan "fixes" Zeena's brokem dish, Mattie is "Completely reassured, and [shines] on him through tear-hung lashes, and his soul [swells] with pride as he [sees] how his tone [subdues] her" 87), showing how Ethan is pleased with her child-like obedience and at comforting her. By the end of the novel, she has aged and has become bitter by her failed attempt at a relationship with Ethan. She is the one that decides the suicidal plans, creatin a depressing and desperate quality about her character. Then the suicide leads o her deformities. Once the vivacious girl, her description consists of "...hair...as grey as [Zeena's], her face as bloodles and shriveled,...with swarthy shadows sharpening her nose and hollowing the temples...and her dark eyes [have] the bright witch-like stare that diseo th sine sometimes gives" (174), making her appear as a dying old woman, hardened from her experiences and life in general.
ReplyDeleteThough Wharton tries to create no sympathy for the characters, she fails to do so because of the omniscient-limited viewpoint. Though, she at least succeeds in not creating an overwhelming amount of sympathy for any one character and, in this sense, steers away from the flowery romanticism and more towards realism.
While Wharton’s language is concise and, as Will said, she does not delve into the emotions of the characters, she is able to arouse sympathy in the reader simply through the realistic depressing lives of Ethan, Mattie, and Zeena. As discussed in our previous blog post, the setting of Starkfield is bleak, cold, and completely miserable to its inhabitants. There is a certain “deadness of the community” and a “sluggish pulse” existing in Starkfield as noted by the narrator (7). In addition to the sympathy that arises for the characters based on their setting, Wharton creates sympathy by evaluating on their situations in life. Ethan is tired of his marriage to Zeena and wants to leave with Mattie. Mattie has nowhere to turn and is stuck in Starkfield in order to survive. Zeena is “dying” from an unexplainable “illness” and her marriage is practically nonexistent. As sympathy can be felt in all three characters, it is up to the reader to decide who deserves it the most. Although Zeena is initially thought of as an antagonist who prevents the relationship of Ethan and Mattie and prevents Ethan from leaving Starkfield, it is impossible not to feel sympathy for her. This sympathy for Zeena from Ethan and Wharton is apparent during the sledding accident, as Ethan’s guilt causes him to watch as “his wife’s face, with twisted monstrous lineaments, thrust itself between him and his goal” (124). In addition, while Zeena may not be a very likeable character, it can be assumed that Wharton is most sympathetic to her. This is a result of Zeena’s empowerment at the end of the story due to the horrible sledding accident as she is now in control.
ReplyDeleteEdith Wharton's writing style, realism, is very blunt and unemotional. She does not allow any stong attachment to one character. Wharton gives each character equal flaws and allows no character to have more awareness than the other. Wharton leaves it to the reader to decide which character one should be sympathized with.
ReplyDeleteWharton balances the relationship between Ethan and Zeena by making Ethan passionate and Zeena less passionate. Ethan was "still in a rosy haze of his hour with Mattie...He felt as if he had never before known what his wife looked like" (46). Ethan was crazy about Mattie and desired her. He was very upset and frantic when Zeena wanted to send Mattie away. However, his counterpart, Zeena, was more self involved. She was what "Starkfield called 'sickly'" (34). She had left to see a doctor, and did not participate in much of the household chores due to her sickness.
My opinion, as to which character should be pitied, it would be Zeena. Although Ethan and her's relationship was not the friendliest, they had a home. Ethan had the audacity to lust after another woman. He wasn't as secretive as he had hoped; Zeena had caught on to his actions.
Ethan Frome represents the finest of Edith Wharton's career works. Her purposeful, austere, and clever language contributes to an objective style that separates the reader from the characters. We only get to know each character through many pages of observation; Wharton never offers up any form of emotional reasoning to explain the shortcomings of Ethan, Mattie, or Zeena. The effect is much like a trained scientist observing an animal in the wild - the scientist is not biased by stories glorifying or slandering the "reputation" of the organism, but rather makes his own inferences without outside influences to skew the purity of his observations. As a result, it often appears that Wharton wants to distort and deflate her characters, though she is really only giving us a taste of literature in its rawest form. For example, Ethan is often paralyzed by his own ineptitude when “trying” to stir up a relationship with Mattie. He was able to occasionally enjoy himself in the natural environment outside, “but that had been out-of-doors, under the open irresponsible night. Now, in the warm lamplit room, with all its ancient implications of conformity and order, she seemed infinitely farther away from him and more unapproachable” (100). Here, we see a fatal weakness in Ethan – it may appear that he is ripping free of the limitations he faces, but reality strikes the reader at this moment thanks to Wharton’s blunt, provocative style. Ultimately, moments such as this contribute to the final vision of Ethan as a tragic character condemned to a futile life in Starkville. Likewise, Wharton presents Mattie as a distant, fleeting character, adding to the inability of the reader to establish a “relationship” with her. We learn nothing of the emotional elements that make up her persona during the novella, so we cannot relate to her/defend her position at any point in the novel. The plight of Ethan and Mattie at the closure of the novella doesn’t summon up any confidence on the part of the reader either!
ReplyDeleteAll three main characters in Edith Wharton's Ethan Frome are flawed and are placed in situations that draw sympathy. The novel is indeed very scientific, and rarely delves into the emotional side of the characters, focusing almost exclusively on the situational. Their displayed flaws coupled with secret thoughts and feelings are what creates this sympathetic life. Zeena is perhaps the epitome of this. She is supposedly this evil force that keeps Ethan and Mattie apart. She is a physical, emotional, and financial drain on Ethan, whom she has trapped in an unaffectionate marriage. However, she is potentially the most pathetic because of what isn't told. We don't know Zeena's past; We don't know what hardships she has experienced in her life. She could be a hypochondriac because she was never taken care of. She may sink her claws so deep into Ethan because she's afraid of being alone. Because of Wharton's writing style, much of the novel is shrouded in secrecy. Even though she uses a specific and precise technique is laying out her story, much is left to question. In these questions and what- ifs lies the sympathetic nature of Ethan Frome.
ReplyDeleteAlthough each character in Edith Wharton's "Ethan Frome" is given flaws, as Maura said, Wharton leaves it up to the reader to decide who should be sympathized for. Wharton's realistic writing style leaves out the detailed emotions felt by the characters, however, her writing style gives an idea about their emotions. Wharton's writing is very straightforward and blunt, which separates the characters' personality and their emotions. At the beginning of the novel, when Ethan is looking at his family gravestones with Mattie, he remembered, “for years that quiet company had mocked his restlessness, his desire for change and freedom” (26). Wharton eliminates the emotions felt by Ethan as he walked by the gravestones, however emptiness, loneliness, and disappointment can be assumed of Ethan. Sympathy can be felt here for Ethan. Also, when Zeena plans to exile Mattie from the house, “for a moment such a flame of hate rose in him that it ran down his arm and clinched his fist against her” (65). Ethan has deep feelings for Mattie, however they’re secret feelings that are to be hidden from Zeena. Ethan is angered by Zeena’s suggestion and begins to wish he didn’t have to be to be obligated to her anymore. Sympathy can be left for both Zeena and Ethan because Zeena is stuck in the middle of Ethan and Mattie’s feelings, when she’s the one sick and needs Ethan the most. However, Ethan can also be sympathized for because Zeena his keeping him from following his desire for Mattie, and Mattie is his chance for change and freedom.
ReplyDeleteWith the style of realism, the reader is left to draw their own conclusions about the characters, their strengths and weaknesses, that give the characters a more realistic feel. In Ethan Frome, it is never stated that any of the characters are "good" or "bad". In the book, Mattie is young and naive, she doesn't realize the reason Zeena hates her is because she is jealous and mad at Ethan. Mattie gives Ethan the desire for "continuance and stability" (43) something Zeena could never do, and instead of confronting Ethan like she should, she tries to get rid of the disturbance by sending Mattie away. Zeena is insecure in her relationship with Ethan, and like Kelly said she's afraid to be alone. So the only way she can deal with the problem is to make things go back to how they were before Mattie came, instead of changing and growing she just wants things to be unchanging. She is like a miserly old lady who can't let things go, and whose own feelings have been hurt so much she can't remember happiness and can only delight when others' suffer with her. The circumstances are what made her like she is, and so she can be sympathized with since she's really just a victim of circumstance.
ReplyDeleteWhile writing "Ethan Frome", Wharton focuses on plot instead of emotions or flowery wording. This removes her own opinions of characters from the novel. However, by not showing characters emtions it is difficult to understand them. For example, Zeena is placed on both ends of the emotional spectrum several times. Zeena cared for Ethan's mother, while she was dying. Ethan than married her because he was lonely, after the deaths of his parents.. Also, She was a simple fix to his situation; she is his cousin and she has cared for his family. However, as the novel continues we see a shift in Zeena's ability to care for anyone, including herself. "When she came to take care of his mother she had seemed to Ethan like the very genius of health, but he soon saw that her skill as a nurse had been acquired by the absorbed observation of her own symptoms." Because she is an hypochondriac, she thinks of herself as hopeless and doomed to be sick for life. Her mental state causes her to abuse Ethan. This drastic change causes the positive nurturing understanding of Zeena's personality to completely flip. She is now thought of as cruel and heartless. This continues until the end of the novel. Ethan and Mattie, behind Zeena's back, decide to commit suicide together, where they are permanently physically crippled. Despite the way they mistreat Zeena, Zeena voluntarily becomes their caregiver. This causes the reader to feel sorry for Zeena and her "uncontrollable" circumstances. Even though, if she had not been cruel to Ethan he may not have wanted to be with Mattie to begin with. Because Zeena's emotions are never clearly defined, the motives and resulting circumstances are undefinable. By Wharton's detachment toward Zeena, Zeena's flaws as a hypochondriac are never justified or considered malicious. Likewise, her positive attributes, like her ability to care for Ethan's mother, Mattie, and Ethan, are never fully appreciated, or acknowledged.
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