Theme Morality In Ethan Frome By Edith Wharton
The author, Edith Wharton uses the theme morality, to describe the feelings of the characters. Wharton displays the theme throughout the story with symbols, motifs, and irony; he wants to be able to connect to the readers. The novel uses morality as a sense of principles between right and wrong. Morality seems to have its up and downs in the story, as it does in real life. The author uses this particular type of theme with characters to have a more realistic plot and to help the reader understand of what is going on in the book. In the novel Ethan Frome morality is a constant obstacle faced with the characters. Ethan principles are challenged throughout the novel with his feelings for Mattie. "She stood just as Zeena had stood, a lifted lamp in her hand, against the black background of the kitchen. She held the light at the same level, and it drew out with the same distinctness her slim young throat and the brown wrist no bigger than a child's. Then, striking upward, it threw a lustrous fleck on her lips, edged her eyes with velvet shade, and laid a milky whiteness above the black curve of her brows." Wharton, Edith. Ethan Frome. Dover Thrift Editions. 1991.pp.33. Ethan is able to see Mattie as the position as his wife, despites Mattie and Zeena physical and age differences. Ethan faces the rights and wrongs for his feelings, and often has to put his feelings on hold. "It was almost as if the other face, the face of the superseded woman, had obliterated that of the intruder." Wharton, Edith. Ethan Frome. Dover Thrift Editions. 1991. pp.37. Ethan is constantly imagining Mattie as his wife, but every time he does he feels guilty for even having the idea of replacing Zeena. The author shows the struggle with Ethan's conscience and desires. The Red Glass Pickle–dish represents the marriage of Ethan and Zeena, so when it broke describes how the couples love is no longer shared. When Mattie breaks the dish it symbolizes her coming between Ethan and Zeena marriage. "Completely reassured, she shone on him through tear–hung lashes, and his soul swelled with pride as he saw how his tone had subdued her. She did not even ask what he had done. Except when he was steering a big log down the mountain to his mill he had
Theme Of Women In The House Of Mirth
Women in society sometimes are subject to objectification, meaning they are treated as a mere object; unequal to men. In the novel, The House of Mirth, by Edith Wharton, this holds true, except, women are said to be equal to men, but are not treated in this exact manner. Lily is apart of the upper class society of New York and attends parties, gambles all her money, and throughout the whole book tries to marry a rich man. Wharton's feminism is apparent in the way she treats Lily; Lily gets through society, merely by keeping up her appearances. Beauty and appearance are everything in this society, if you are beautiful you will get far in society, however, the only thing Lily is lacking is wealth. In the novel, feminism is present with the idea of appearances and the symbol of money is used to convey that men are needed to control a women's social stability. First, in the novel money is the most important thing and social standing depends just on how much wealth one has. Therefore, it makes sense that Lily's whole demeanor and emotional state is almost completely dependent on money. Lily has acquired lots of debt from gambling and when in this state she feels as if she owes something to the people who have lent her money. She absolutely hates that feeling, as she wants to solely be independent and have a man give her wealth. "She was realizing for the first time that ... the maintenance of a moral attribute should be dependent on dollars and cents", this quote was describing
Brief Summary Of Wharton's Ethan Frome
t's winter. A nameless engineer is in Starkfield, Massachusetts on business and he first sees Ethan Frome at the post office. Ethan is a man in his early fifties who is obviously strong, and obviously crippled. The man becomes fascinated with Ethan and wants to know his story. When Ethan begins giving him occasional rides to the train station, the two men strike up a friendship. One night when the weather is particularly bad, Ethan invites the man to stay at his house. In the hall the man hears a woman talking angrily, on and on. When Ethan speaks, the voice stops. The man tells us that he learned something that night which allowed him to imagine Ethan's story. Now we go back in time 24 years and learn about Ethan's life. Ethan has walked
Edith Wharton's Use Of Setting
When one hears the word "winter", one might think of a cold, peaceful environment. In the beginning of the novel, the wintery environment present in Starkfield, Massachusetts has an elegant and appealing nature. However, Edith Wharton reveals how this seemingly peaceful environment can twist a whole community and provide an unpropitious future for the residents there. By using the theme of winter, Wharton attempts to create a tranquil setting; however, as the story progresses Starkfield begins to turn into a bleak, ironic setting that buries each characters desires and dreams. Wharton uses the subject of winter to create a sensation of irony. When the narrator first enters Starkfield, Massachusetts his first impression is how the atmosphere
A Journey Summary
"A Journey" is a short story written by Edith Wharton in 1899 as part of her collection of short stories called "The Greater Inclination." This short story is about a wife and husband traveling from Colorado to New York. They travel in turmoil, due to the husband being very sick. He consequently dies, leaving the wife to reach New York on her own, while at the same time, covering up the death of her husband so she does not get booted off the train. While on the train, the wife has several encounters with the porter and passengers, in which she begins to falter and hesitate when talking to them. In "A Journey," Edith Wharton's use of tone and imagery revolving around the wife, conveys the negative impact the death of a husband has on a woman to interact with others in a calm manner.
One person the wife struggles to interact with in a calm manner is the porter because through the tone and imagery revolving around the wife when talking to the porter, it shows how the porter's presence causes her to struggle defending herself. The first contact between the wife and porter occurs when the porter begins checking up on the passengers to see if they needed any help. He ends up startling her. The wife then looks at the porter helplessly, while his smile almost corrupts her speech. The porter starts by saying, "Are you very tired?" followed by the wife replying, "No, not very." The porter then says, "We'll be there soon now." The wife responds with "Yes, very soon." (Wharton 418).
Theme Of Suffering In Ethan Frome
The Inevitable Suffering of Wrongdoings One's moral duty is often conflicted with an emotional drive or a strong passion. The drive it takes to deviate from knowing what is right and wrong can lead to unfavorable outcomes, such as suffering. Not only does this engagement establish a war within the mind, but it also hinders certain responsibilities. In Edith Wharton's novel Ethan Frome, the protagonist, Ethan, encounters a dilemma: his strong feelings for his wife's cousin, Mattie, compels him to reconsider his devotion to Zeena. Ethan allows himself to seize feelings for Mattie, through which he disregards his moral duties to his wife, typifying that addressing a private passion over responsibility can lead to suffering. Ethan has a moral
Wharton School Of Business Admission Essay Sample
The University of Pennsylvania has one resource that no other establishment in the world can offer to me: the highest caliber of intellectuals in my field. Given that I intend on attending the Wharton School of Business and with the goal of becoming a financial manager, and then rising further along corporate ladder, I must be at the absolute forefront of the field and gain as many connections as I can along the way. Not to be used, people are not tools. But, I am NOT one who is content to let themself fall into the pit of mediocrity And I recognize that the success of one individual can inspire success in those around them. Thus, is researched the different groups that students have put together for the mutual benefit of both University of Pennsylvania and the Wharton School of Business and the multitude of opportunities they present myself: investment experience, interdisciplinary education, and furthering my understanding of the Chinese economy.
Given my current affinity for investing and that it is my current aspiration I am ecstatic at every opportunity to hone my skills. I will accomplish this through establishing a connection with each of the groups Wharton Investing and Trading Group, Wharton Undergraduate Consulting Club, PCI Venture Club, Ivy Capital Management, InSITE Philadelphia,...show more content...
To help me achieve this goal I will participate in Innovation Student Seminars, and the Deal Maker's Club. It is incredibly unlikely that I will be working exclusively in investing even as a financial manager. Thus, honing and maintaining other business skills will allow me to work more efficiently and make me more valuable for cross–functional teams. Moreover, attending the Seminars and gauging the reactions to them could provide me with insight to possible market trends or certain ventures that I should be paying attention
The Age Of Innocence Essay
Set in the affluent area of New York City in the 1870s, The Age of Innocence, written by Edith Wharton, shows the drama, lies, and deception of the United States wealthiest inhabitants. The story begins as May Welland and Newland Archer are announcing their engagement. But when May's cousin, Countess Olenska, returns from Europe without her husband, Newland begins to fall for her. The Age of Innocence is a story of American despair and failure because the characters are never content, two marriages are torn apart because of affairs, and the characters are too innocent to understand their problems. Each character suppresses their feelings and live unhappy lives because they never find love. Newland thinks to himself, "I am dead – I've...show more content...
While Newland is studying May's portrait, he describes her by saying, "With a new sense of awe he looked at the frank forehead, serious eyes and gay innocent mouth of the young creature. . . the young girl who knew nothing and expected everything" (Wharton 67). May is portrayed as the innocent character. She is known to never suspect Newland's affair until the last few pages reveal she has known for years. Her innocence is a mask for unhappiness and awareness of what is happening around her, but she is not strong enough to tell Newland. This burden weighs on her the entire marriage, but is covered by her docile personality. Countess Oleksa is also an innocent character because she is oblivious to the social customs and patterns of New York City. Newland's impression of Ellen is described by Wharton when she writes, "He hated to think of May Welland's being exposed to the influence of a young woman so careless of the dictates of Taste" (Wharton 35). Countess Olenska is not observant to the fashion trends and is thought of as a disappointment to her family, hence her nickname, "Poor Ellen". She is intelligent and outgoing, but does not always pick up on the cues of her peers and family. Both main characters display their innocence throughout the book by not picking up on interactions with Newland and social patterns, eventually hurting them
Edith Wharton Accomplishments
Edith Wharton, a woman who had some amazing achievements during a period of time when women we discouraged from doing just that. An esteemed writer who released over forty books in her forty year career. Wharton was born into a wealthy family who were descendants of Dutch colonists in New York. She didn't attend school, but educated herself by reading text from her father's library. By the age of twenty–three, she married Edward Wharton, but they had a very unhappy relationship. Born a creative person, Edith wrote poems and stories in her youth. Her career started over one hundred years ago in 1897, with her first book dubbed "The Decoration of Houses". "The Decoration of Houses" pushed her belief that the design of a house should include
Edith Wharton's brief, yet tragic novella, Ethan Frome, presents a crippled and lonely man – Ethan Frome – who is trapped in a loveless marriage with a hypochondriacal wife, Zenobia "Zeena" Frome. Set during a harsh, "sluggish" winter in Starkfield, Massachusetts, Ethan and his sickly wife live in a dilapidated and "unusually forlorn and stunted" New–England farmhouse (Wharton 18). Due to Zeena's numerous complications, they employ her cousin to help around the house, a vivacious young girl – Mattie Silver. With Mattie's presence, Starkfield seems to emerge from its desolateness, and Ethan's vacant world seems to be awoken from his discontented life and empty marriage. And so begins Ethan's love adventure – a desperate desire to have...show more content...
When his mother, too, had fallen ill, Ethan had had no time for "convivial loiterings in the village" (Wharton 61). Once a social and admired man, Ethan now lives in a life of solitude and silence. After his mother fell ill, "the loneliness of the house grew more oppressive than that of the fields" (Wharton 61). His mother had been a talker in her day, but after her illnesses, the sound of her voice was seldom heard. When asked why, her answer would be "because [she was] listening" or "they're talking so [loud] out there that I can't hear you" (Wharton 61). Towards the end of her illnesses, Zenobia Pierce came to help Ethan. It was only then that Zeena's volubility was "music in his ears", relieving him of the "mortal silence of his long imprisonment" (Wharton 61). After his mother's death, Ethan married Zeena, hoping to rid him of the loneliness of the farm. However, Zeena, too, eventually fell silent, and Ethan must take of her like he once did for his mother. In addition, irony also takes place during Ethan and Mattie's first evening together. Zeena, being a hypochondriac claims that her "shooting pains" have gotten more severe and therefore must leave to Bettsbridge to see a new doctor, leaving Ethan and Mattie alone. On what should have been a romantic idyll, the evening is in fact stressful and
Edith Wharton's Atrophy is a centred around protagonist Nora Frenway, who is faced with several difficulties on her journey to see her ill, clandestine lover Christopher at Westover. The story is written in third person narration, where it was first published in 1927. The Sound and the Fury (1929) by William Faulkner is a novel told in four sections about the affairs regarding the Compson family. In this novel the first three sections focus on the consciousness of each of the brothers in the novel; Benjy, Quentin and Jason. The fourth section is told in third person narration highlighting the experiences of the family servant Dilsey. In each section of this novel each person has some fragment of their own version of the truth, while Caddy, the sister and daughter of the Compson family is a central female figure in the novel. Thus, in both texts there are issues that arise such as race relations and gender inequality, due to this, there is always an effect on relationships and events in the novel. During the time these texts were written there were issues regarding women and equality, and the society was governed by patriarchal thought and influence. Women were seen as lesser to men and they had to attend to household duties and obey the societal rules. Other issues such as class and status were also factors in regard to how women were expected to behave. Both authors effectively capture gender differently showing how the effect of gender ideologies impacted relationships and
Entrapment In Wharton's Ethan Frome
Entrapment makes one find no door out of the room they are consumed in. No way out, is how Ethan and Mattie endured in this troubling novel called Ethan Frome. Ethan and Mattie were trapped in a state of longing for each other's compassion. Obstacles kept the two apart leading to an issue that grew more and more each day they were together. Zeena would forevermore be the utmost hurdle the two would have to jump to be together, but it was a hurdle that would be too high for Ethan and Mattie.
The big elm was their sole exit, it would be their way out of this hell they were entrapped inside of. The big elm symbolized fate.An elm tree symbolizes the instinct choices that can lead to utter destruction due to the elm choosing their end results. Ned and Ruth were lucky enough to dodge the big elm which changed their roles of fate. Mattie and Ethan went with their gut decision and loomed towards the tree choosing their fate. The elm tree embodies everything to do with fate.
An elm tree's true roots is what the reader wants to grasp on to figure out more verity to the significance of...show more content...
Mattie and ethan made an out of the gut decision when they came to conclusion of how they were going to kill themselves by sledding into the strong and deadly tree at high speeds. They choose to end their lives because they couldn't bear to exist without one another by their side. Yes i know romeo and juliet part two, yet another one of those tragedy books. Not exactly, read into the context more the sled was their choice that they made and the tree was their fate that awaited Mattie and Ethan's downfall. Fate could have blessed their hopes of dying to save their hearts from shattering when they were no longer near one another, but that would never happen due to fate taking another course. That's the thing about fate, you can't pick and choose what life may bring to the table. Life will serve you a different course every time when you least expect
Emerson And Wharton Essay
Philosophers, poets and even the common man are all affected by nature in different ways. The wonders of nature can leave a man breathless and yet full of vigor. Pleasure, peace, and passion are all mental emotions coursing through human bodies as humans take in the mental effects of nature. Emerson himself once said that we must "adopt the peace of nature." In every part of nature there is beauty. Emerson and Wharton both agreed on the magnificence and comfort of the physical and mental influences of nature. Emerson and Wharton celebrate the transcendental power of the natural world over the material world. The two transcendentalists believe in the artistry and elegance of nature and they both especially love summer afternoons as evidenced in Emerson's poem "The Humble Bee". Both Emerson and Wharton express their appreciation and affection for nature by celebrating, contemplating, and characterizing nature itself. Wharton's belief that the two words, "summer days" are the most beautiful words in the English language is similar to Emerson's belief that nature is above all...show more content...
Although Emerson and Wharton are overcome by the influence of nature and worship the glories of nature others may view nature in a different way. Wharton and Emerson were Transcendentalists and they truly worshipped and believed in nature and they were spiritually impacted by nature. Christians on the other hand are impacted by nature in the sense that it is God's creation. Nature is God's art and every day he paints his canvas, the earth. Christians are impacted through God by nature, whereas Transcendentalists are impacted directly by nature as the superior spiritual force. Emerson and Wharton placed great value in nature even worshipping it above all things, however all humans are influenced, impassioned, and intrigued by the extravagances of nature in their own personal
A Journey Character Analysis
In the short story, "A Journey" by Edith Wharton, the narrator tells the story of a wife who travels back to New York from Colorado with her husband to ameliorate the illness he has. During the process, the conflict between the wife's egoistic actions along with her desire to flaunt her wealth and her husband's illness is shown. This concept is portrayed through the thoughts/perspective of the wife/main character in order to convey that women who are totally dependent on their husbands will become self centered and only values the benefits the husband yields in. In the beginning of the book, Wharton portrays the conflict between the wife's desire for wealth and her husband's illness through the thoughts of the wife and the characterization of a conceited mindset. For instance, the wife displays how she values her own welfare more than her husband when she complains and thinks about the "hardships" she goes through while her husband is going through a life and death situation. This can be seen when the narrator states, "Nobody knew her or cared about her; there was no one to wonder at the good match she had made, or to envy her new dresses" (Wharton 416). The quote places great emphasis on the wife's tenebrous experience of the temporary stay in Colorado and how she complains about not being able to be ostentatious while her husband is there in order to improve his condition. Also, it shows the author's pessimistic thoughts when she acquiesces to help ameliorate her husband's health and how she values her artificial items more than the life of a loved one. Furthermore, in the quote, the connotation "good match" suggests that the wife only married her husband because of his echelon and affluence. This further justifies how women who are totally dependent on their husband becomes egoistic and values the benefits of what the husband yields in rather than his welfare.
Within the middle of the short story, Wharton characterizes the wife as self–centered through the conflict of status and illness. This occurs when the wife begins to only worry about herself after the death of her husband and the author displays this through the thoughts of the wife. The narrator states, "She thought hurriedly. If they see I am
Reflection Of Ethan Frome By Edith Wharton
As one may be aware, a typical English class, at least that of which I am aware of, consists primarily of two of the fundamental functions of widely accepted language skills: reading and writing. This common theme unifying the English education of students worldwide, as a basic expectation, constructs the curriculum of the AP English Literature class. In effect, students of the class, not limited to but including me, can expect a selection of novels, plays, and other mediums of language that will range from the most interesting to the greatest degree of banality possible. As a result, the natural progression of skill development, in terms of reading and writing, proves to be an inherent process, not necessarily in aim, with considerations of...show more content...
Although contrary to my assertions, the decline in writing skills is not due to lack of improvement, but rather lack of motivation. As was the case with Invisible Man, the lack of willingness leads to a poor quality, in comparison, with the high quality effort and resulting work of early essays. The early papers may have been rudimentary in introduction and conclusion, but the thoughts included within eclipsed those of any other paper. Furthermore, the elementary level of introduction lended itself to organization unparalleled in later essays. For example, the Jane Eyre essay contains a list thesis which led to an essay following the order of the thesis. However, the most recent allusion paper also includes a type of a list thesis, but the resulting work completely failed in the realm of organization. The order of the information makes no sense in terms of medium, point, or chronology which leaves the reader thinking more about the jumbled mind of the writer rather than the information at hand. In addition to the decline of essay writing over the year, the time put into an essay showed to have a direct correlation to the resulting quality. If I spent more than a couple hours, then the essay turned out to be highly impactful with excellent word choices. If I spent less than the previously mentioned time, then the essay
The Theme Of Death In Wharton's 'Afterward'
The fear of facing one's guilt continues to torment Wharton's characters in "Afterward." In this story, set in a supposedly haunted house in England, one finds also the tensions of marriage, as "Afterward" is "a psychological study about the emotional alienation of a husband and his wife" (Heller 18). Edward and Mary Boyne are a united couple who want to buy a house in the English countryside with the hope of finding a ghost in it. They succeed; however, what they end up finding is "not a spirit connected with the house but one the Boynes bring with them from their own past – Ned's concealed misdeed and Mary obliviousness of them" (Erlich 104).
After they move to the English house, Mary notices that her husband moves away from her, that he...show more content...
She is the one who is most punished by her husband's misdeed (Erlich 104). Mary, "like many of Wharton's fictional women, (...) had been so protected from the sordid ways of the world that she was unaware of her husband's business activities and the lawsuit concerning them" (Erlich 104). Her indifference to them is a consequence of her gender and her time. The ghost's apparition for Ned is, as the eyes for Culwin, a terrorizing reflection of his misdeeds, but for Mary, it is a punishment for being a woman in a man's
Values Of Women In The Journey By Edith Wharton
Abrar Mahi In The Journey by Edith Wharton, the author through the narrator's thoughts conveys how women, who are dependent on their husbands, have misplaced values. The story depicts a married couple who reside in Colorado. The Narrator plays the role of a wife, who takes care of her husband, who is ill. After being released from the hospital, the couple embarks on a trip to the New York through a train as they plan to meet family. However during the trip, the husband passes away leaving the narrator with a tough role in where she chooses to conceal the condition of her husband and revealing her true intentions through.
The author, using the narrator as a medium, conveys how dependent women have misplaced values through the narrator's dislike of her situation as, well as her desire of material items and attention. The narrator, a woman who is dependent on her husband, describes her thoughts on her new environment in Colorado. Wharton writes, "She hated it there from the first. Nobody knew her or cared for her; there was no one to wonder at the good math she made, or to envy the new dress and the visiting cards which were still a surprise to her" (Wharton 416). This moment in the text is significant as the author provides us insight into the narrator's thoughts, highlighting how the narrator feels this sense of "hate" towards her current situation. It's also revealed how the narrator's dislike derives from her lack of attention and approval which she had previously
The Age Of Innocence Essay
In the novel, The Age of Innocence, there are a lot of issues dealt with that involves love, affairs, and reputation. In this novel the act of innocence quickly dies in society. Edith Wharton creates a tragedy in which innocence becomes a thing in the past. The novel takes place in New York City in the 1870's where society revolves around who can go to the opera, who wore the most expensive gown, and who can stick to their plan the best. Innocence in the society the novel was written about and innocence in today's society differs. In the novel, innocence is lost by the brokenness of marriages and gender rules.
In the novel each character has a challenge that deals with the pressures of wealth and high society hierarchy. Gender rules are a big thing to follow and if broken the society looks down upon you. In the novel, Countless Ellen Olenska, undertakes a huge gender breaking rule: she tries to divorce her husband (which in that society is a big no–no) and moves to Europe alone. Ellen represents death of the old order of society because a woman of that time period would never go against the innocent role of a woman the way Ellen did. Although Ellen claimed she was ready to get out of the city, "It is confoundedly dull anyhow; New York is dying of dullness" (87). To the people of her society it was...show more content...
It seemed he got tired of the life he planned for himself, "His whole life suddenly seemed to be unrolled before him; and passing down its endless emptiness he saw the dwindling figure of a man whom nothing was ever to happen" (75). This theme that innocence could be taken away can be found anywhere in the 21st century. Although the society in the novel is highly organized and refined, it is that way so the actions that are not innocent can be hidden under the mask of high
Edith Wharton 's View Of Marriage And Society
In the late 1800s, the average wealthy woman held very high standards, but Edith Wharton was not your average wealthy woman. She stood out as being a women 's rights activist, and always wanted to push the boundaries of society 's standards by reading and writing even from a very young age. Edith Wharton 's cynical view of marriage and society are reflected in her characters emotions and actions in her short stories because of the injustices she faced with her mother and standards of women at the time.
Edith Wharton was born into a wealthy family and spent her early childhood in New York, during the Civil War. From the beginning, however–and to some extent throughout her life–Edith Wharton felt like an outsider ("Childhood"). Wharton always felt like an outsider because of her reluctance to conform to society's standards of women. Her family tried to influence Wharton to be a proper woman, but Wharton's reluctance to conform was very strong
When she was only four years old, Wharton's family traveled extensively over Europe to places such as Germany, France, and Italy. While she was in Europe she received her education from various tutors and governesses because she was a women, and therefore did not go to school. During her extensive stay in Europe, Wharton became fluent in a few languages such as Italian and German. Those new language skills would help her later in life.
As Wharton grew older she grew very fond of literature. She was a young woman stricken with a
Isolation In Wharton's Ethan Frome
The characterization of winter which Wharton uses illustrates that the cold, brutal nature of the season reflects the isolation and bitter qualities of life during challenging times. Throughout the novel, the weather remains intensely frigid, symbolizing not only the harshness of life in Starkfield and the loneliness which comes from having to seek shelter from the elements. Foster uses words such as "severe," "inhospitable," and "suffocating" (75) to describe snow, which is sustained in Frome's world. The continuous process of struggling to withstand the psychological and physical challenges of "the isolation of a Starkfield farm" (Wharton 13) becomes unbearable for Ethan, as he consistently daydreams of breaking away from his past. It seems