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
The light, on a level with her chin, drew out of the darkness her puckered throat and the projecting wrist of the hand that clutched the quilt . The detail and figurative language used by the author illustrate the differences betweenZeena and Mattie. The narrator describes Zeena as lonely, "His wife looked so hard andlonely, sitting there in the darkness with such thoughts" (78). and gathering up the bits of broken glass she went out of the room asif she carried a dead body" (92). Zeena is set in her own ways and she does not speak unless she wantssomething or wishes to criticize others. Although it is cold outside Ethan still findseverything alive and beautiful since Mattie is with him. The author uses detail to describe the characterization of Ethan's wrinkled wife, Zeena. Wharton's description of Zeena carefullyemphasizes the hard and cold nature of the woman. The narrator conveys Mattie's appearance, "Mattie cameforward, unwinding her wraps, the colour of the cherry scarf in her fresh lips and cheeks" (39). Whenever Ethan and Mattie are together, Ethan is in command, while Mattieobeys him.
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Acceptance Essays
