She was so energetic and full of life that she wanted to free Ethan from this terrible society he lived in. Of all the characters in this novel, Mattie is the most tragic. When Mattie enters she is wearing bright clothing and ribbons tied in her hair.įrom her first appearance, the reader becomes aware that Mattie is very different from Ethan’s wife. The town of Starkfield is very colorless and dull. Mattie Silver is unlike any of the other characters in Ethan Frome. Edith Wharton uses characters such as Mattie, to express the theme of loneliness and isolation. A year later she chooses to die rather than return to a world of solitude. Mattie, on the other hand, seeks refuge from loneliness at the Fromes’ farm. For years, Zeena rarely leaves the house. In their own ways, Zeena and Mattie are solitary figures, too.

For example, when he wants to impress Mattie with beautiful words of love, he mutters, “Come along. He would like to make contact with others but can’t. Ethan’s isolation is intensified, because he is often tongue-tied. Whatever he’s done has kept him apart from others: tending to the farm and mill, nursing his sick mother and caring for Zeena. Once he returned to the farm to care for his parents, he couldn’t go out with them even if he wanted to. In college Ethan acquired the nickname “Old Stiff” because he rarely went out with the boys. There were many themes found in Ethan Frome, but the greatest of them all is loneliness and isolation. Now Ethan’s wife must care for the two for the rest of their lives. The attempt fails, and the two are left paralyzed. They figure it is the only way they can be together. When the two are unable to find any plausible solutions to this issue, Ethan and Mattie decide to commit suicide by sledding into a tree. However, Ethan’s lack of financial means and Zeenas health are the deciding factors that will never allow him to leave Starkfield to be with his love. Ethan and Mattie are desperate to stay together. Thus, she decides to send her incompetent cousin away and hire a new one. After a visit to the doctor, Zeena is told that she needs more appreciable hired help. He cherishes the ground she walks on and would do anything for her.

Ethan eagerly awaits the nights when he is able to walk Mattie home from the town dances. However, they never follow their love due to Ethan’s morals and the respect he has for his marriage to Zeena. This resentment leads to Ethan and Mattie in turn, falling in love.

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