Ethan Frome

Edith Wharton's Ethan Frome, published in the late 19th century, is a tale of love, frustration, being tied by the rules, and irony.

For the most part, Ethan Frome is a fairly slow read, like much of the literature from the pre-Realist period. It was much better than Wharton's House of Mirth, though. The language is dated, but fairly easy to understand. Plus, it never hurts to have a dictionary handy when you're reading anyway.

The story of Ethan Frome is primarily about Ethan as a character. It focuses on his confusing, isolated, and mysterious life. Ethan has a sickly wife, had a sickly mother, and inherited his farm while he was very young. He has to work hard to keep the poor farm sight going, which sucks up much of his energy.

While avoiding revealing major plot points in the novel, I will say that what the story it about, is a stranger to Starkfield, who is trying to piece together the mystery of Ethan Frome, whom the narrator sees almost daily in the post office. He's a Boo Radley of sorts, raising eyebrows of those who do not know the story.

Ethan's story is interesting, with good psychological views for a story of this period. It is a little slow, and frustrating, but there are important moral considerations being taken into account and Ethan's character is very complex and well developed. Mattie Silver, a major character in the story, is also fairly well done, as is Zeena Frome.

The story has a big ending, as do many novels, which importantly effects the outcome. While it is a big event, it does not change Ethan's affairs, it laments and intensifies them.

Ethan Frome is pretty typical of 1890s literature, in that it is between the rigid, story-based ideas of Romanticism (much of the story is about wooing and love, etc.), but also shares on Realism's views on daily life and psychological aspects, plus somewhat considering Naturalism's sense of control over one's environment.

It is a fair read, though not really at the top of my list by any means. If you feel that you have to get all the classics under your belt, you should probably read this. It took me a few hours. The story also may be helpful to aspiring writers and studiers of literature, in that the story uses clever irony near its conclusion, as well as deep moral contemplations. However, most of these are dated thought, sexist in root.