Ethan Frome - To Live Is To Die

             Everyday people deal with many situations and problems that, depending on how they deal with them determines their esteem with life. There are those people who are faithful to themselves, making good decisions wherever they go, and lead happy lives. Then, there are those who have no idea what they are doing they ultimately end up miserable and unsatisfied with themselves.
             Life has a lot to do with ones perspective on it. It is every person's perspective on life that determines how he or she handle every given situation. Ethan Frome, the main character in the novel entitled Ethan Frome, by Edith Wharton, has many complex problems occurring at the same time. His parents have died, his wife is continually sick, and the only form of happiness he has is from his wife's cousin Mattie. This, at times proves to be hard because of Ethan's wife's interference. Nothing seems to be going in Ethan's favor. Ethan, who is never sure what exactly his direction should be, makes unfulfilled decisions that ultimately make him miserable as he sees it.
             It is the tragedy of Ethan Frome that these ill-fated lovers, Ethan and Mattie, are reduced to something bleak and unapproachable. A couple who are refused their chance of happiness because of the rigorous social restrictions binding them to a life that represses love and happiness. Clearly Wharton, through her portrayal of their relationship, wants readers to put aside their preconceived notions of fidelity and adultery to recognize that the two were denied their chance of happiness.
             Ethan Frome lives trapped by the social expectations, which were placed upon him seemingly since the time of his birth. Wharton openly implores us to admire Ethan's endurance of his unfortunate life, as she paints a compassionate picture of him with a look in his face that neither poverty nor physical suffering could have put there. We are led to feel pity for the man who, as a last resort, married Zeena ...

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Ethan Frome - To Live Is To Die . (1969, December 31). In MegaEssays.com. Retrieved 02:55, March 29, 2024, from https://www.megaessays.com/viewpaper/58992.html