The life and times of the Chim

"If she'd ha' died, Ethan might ha' lived. Now he has to live with the guilt from his wife and injured 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 seven years older than Ethan, bitter, ugly and sickly cold like the winter. Years after their marriage, cousin Mattie Silver is asked to relieve Zeena, who is constantly ill, of her house hold duties. Once again surrendering himself to the forces of isolation, silence, darkness, cold, and dealing with his obligations to his wife and now Mattie. With all the incidents that happened it seemed inevitable that responsibilities and obligations toward Mattie and Zeena would trap him. At this point Mattie unintentionally becomes the cause of Ethan's tragic suffering. Instead of running into the tree Ethan thinks of his responsibility of taking care of Zeena and pulls away. This is when he finally realizes and affects of his marrying Zeena out of compensation. It seemed that every thing he tried to do worked against his favor. The aborted suicide attempt leads to their tragic fate, living a life of physical suffering, so badly that Zeena is forced to take care of them.

Ethan Frome's practical sense of putting his responsibilities before his self-interests had a very negative affect on his life. His first decision of marrying Zeena had a big impact on everything he did afterward. Ethan and Mattie attempt to preserve their happiness and remain together the only way they can, in death. After suffering so long with Zeena, Ethan now has to exist with the horrible deformed remains of a once beautiful, sensitive, and loving girl.