Ethan Frome
Detail and Figurative Language Illustrate Differences in Characterization "In a day when women were to look at and nothing more, they weren't intelligent, theywere fashionable, Edith stood alone" (Ovard, 1). Edith Wharton was born on January 24, 1862into a tightly controlled, New York society that positively discouraged women from achievinganything beyond a proper marriage. Her role as a daughter of an aristocratic New York familywas to learn the mannerisms and rituals expected of well-bred young women in those days. Edithwould eventually rebel against this role. As a child she was schooled at home, and she had theprivilege of using her father's extensive library. Therefore, she began to read at an early age andmade up stories which she acted out for her nanny. Later, she would publish her first nonfictionbook, The Decoration of Houses. Edith marries in 1885 and later discovers her husband takingmoney from her. She divorces Teddy in 1912 and never marries again. Instead, she devotes hertime to traveling, helping refugees from World War I, and writing. Edith Wharton became one ofAmerica's most prolific and celebrated writers, producing more than forty books, including
Thenarrator pronounces, She sat opposite the window, and the pale light reflected from the banks of snow made her face look more than usually drawn and bloodless, sharpened the three par- allel creases between ear and cheek, and drew queru- lous lines from her thin nose to the corners of her mouth (47). The narrator conveys Mattie's appearance, "Mattie cameforward, unwinding her wraps, the colour of the cherry scarf in her fresh lips and cheeks" (39). The two women involved inEthan's life are such opposites that the reader is forced to identify with either Mattie or Zeena butnot both. The author uses detail to describe the characterization of Ethan's wrinkled wife, Zeena. She seated herself obediently and he took his place behindher . The author uses detail and figurative language to illustrate the differencesbetween Zeena and Mattie. Zeena is set in her own ways and she does not speak unless she wantssomething or wishes to criticize others. Mattie is described as young and full of beauty with cherry red lips. " The bleak and cold imagery is directly related to Zeena while the warm andcomforting imagery is related to Mattie. Although it is cold outside Ethan still findseverything alive and beautiful since Mattie is with him.
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Acceptance Essays
