Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Ethan Frome: Ch. Prologue-Ch. 4: Brrr, it's Cold Outside (and Inside...)
Edith Wharton's Ethan Frome was published in 1911, though set in rural New England in the 1880s. Wharton wrote the novel after living in the hill-region near Bekshire for ten years and observing the "aspect, dialect, and mental and moral attitude of the hill people." (From Wharton's discussion in A Backward Glance.) Some scholars have proposed that significant parts of the plot and themes are taken from Wharton's life, but we'll save those for later to avoid spoiling the rest of the book. As you've noticed by now, the novel contains a frame story, presented in the prologue (and to return in the epilogue), while the inner story is told through a flashback. In the frame, or the novel's present time, Ethan Frome is 52, while in the flashback he is 28. The inner story is told in third person limited, emphasizing Ethan's point of view. Some possible ideas to explore: How does this novel fit into the genre of fairytale? How does it revise this genre? What do you make of the following symbols: wintry landscape, sledding, the cat? What is the tone? What are your reactions, predictions, and interpretations at this time?
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This story kind of reminds me of a story grandparents would tell to their children just because of the way it is written. It has all the hopeful curiosity of a fairytale, and it seems as if it is more than just a story. It seems like it stands for something bigger and of course it does. The landscape is described beautifully. Ethan Frome views the landscape just as beautifully as it is described, like it symbolizes love and hope and beautiful things that could be. The way Wharton describes the sled tracks too, definitely has negative connotation. The slope “looked like a mirror scratched by travelers at an inn”. Then Ethan continued to talk about how maybe he would take Mattie to sled. I think that the author’s trying to foreshadow an affair between Mattie and Ethan that will ruin both of them. Mirrors are symbolic of seeing into one’s soul, and if the mirror is damaged, one can’t see in it so well.
I thought it was interesting too, how in the beginning of the novel, Ethan said he had to take the “L” off of his house after his father died. The “L” is described as the center of the farm. It encloses nourishment and warmth and allows workers to go about their business without difficulty. It seems like all the difficulty appeared after Ethan’s father’s death. Another obscenely interesting thing is the tombstone reading that claims Ethan Frome and Endurance lives in peace together for fifty years. It’s almost as if he is married to his ability to withstand the strain of loneliness for the rest of his life.
How does it fit into the genre of a fairytale...
Because the beginning is a standard fairytale beginning. Ethan Frome is like the grandfather telling a fable from his youth. The long ellipsis represents "A long time ago, in a land far, far away." (Even though it wasn't all that long ago and not far away at all.) The story is not entirely realistic, and the imagery is hyped up, just like a fairytale.
(Mrs. Heartz, do you remember the Poetic Irony t-shirt I was talking about? :D
http://www.threadless.com/product/553/Poetic_Irony#zoom )
This novel is a fairytale because it is about a forbidden romance, and it is the story of an older man who is telling it to a younger man. Fairytales are often told in this format, as Nikki said, with a grandparent telling a story from their childhood to their grandchildren. The wintry landscape of Starkfield illustrates just how stark and dreary it is. Even though the snow is nice to look at, it chokes all forms of life and causes strife and struggling.
The cat represents Zeena and how she will always come between Ethan and Mattie. Even when his wife is not there, Ethan cannot show his true feelings for Mattie because the cat ruins everything. If the cat had not broken the china dish, things may have gone very differently that night. Zeena's presence will always be there to keep Mattie and Ethan from being together, even if she is not there in person.
I just KNOW something bad is going to happen soon. Mattie and Ethan will be discovered, and then everyone gets killed in the crash. Even the elm at the end of the sledding hill foreshadows a terrible accident...
The story just feels cold reading it. It is easy to imagine the snowy, dark, and silent landscape. It is probably set in this way to symbolize Ethan's feelings. He has a beautiful affection for Mattie that remains silent. Like his affection, it is pretty and silent toward Mattie and at the same time cold an dark to Zeena. Again, the cat probably symbolizes Zeena's ever lasting presence embraced within Ethan. Even when she is gone, he can not get Zeena from his mind. It is like the tombstone, Endurance being Zeena will last with Ethan forever. He must endure her. As for sledding, it is often fun and exciting but usually ends when someone gets hurt. This is also shown in going down hill. As the details of the story add up, it probably suggests that Ethan can not rid himself of his wife's presence and will probably be hurting himself in the process.
As stated, the story is similar to the beginning of a fairytale with one telling another a story from the past. It also displays characteristics of a fairytale through the story of love; many fairytales have love involved, just like Ethan's secret love for Mattie. The setting in the book is described very well. The scene seems beautiful, although the dark winter setting may be foreshadowing darker troubles to come. As for sledding, it seems like something will go wrong, because it can be dangerous and normally in a story, sledding isn't just 'sledding', therefore it is most likely foreshadowing other things to come.
Everyone who has wrote a blog so far has basically summed up the idea about the fairytale. The story is written in a way thats reminds you of a grandfather telling his story to his grandkids. Also, it is about an impossible love; an aspect which fairytales are known for. With that being said, I think that is is almost certain that the love between Ethan and Mattie will never be permitted. Even when Ethan and Mattie were alone, nothing between them happened. Instead, the cat (which symbolizes how Zeena will always stand between the forbidden love) disrupted any chance of intimacy. If the relationship between Ethan and Mattie somehow develops, I think that they will be discovered and consequently Ethan will have to go through even more pain. Even the tombstone described the situation. Zeena (known as Endurance on the tombstone) will be with Ethan until death.
so fairytale...i guess its like a fairytale, but nothing exciting has happened yet, you know? ethan is obviously the hero of the story and mattie's the damsel in distress, but is zeena or that eady guy the villain? or are they both? is zeena the evil witch and eady the big bad dragon? hmmm...well anyways, the cat. it only showed up after the awkward turtle reared its ugly head at the mention of zeena, so are they related? maybe the cat symbolizes zeena, or the fact that zeena is still ethan's wife, even though she's not actually there? hmmm again...well, i sure hope so, 'cause that's all i got.
and nice one nikki, the whole endurance thing, way to see things i completely missed, haha.
I think the cat is a symbol of Ethan and Zeena's marriage falling apart. This is because it broke the Zeena's favorate dish which was a wedding present. The breaking of this important piece symbolizes the breaking of the Fromes' marriage. Also how the event with the cat disrupted Ethan and Mattie's dinner can symbolize how Zeena will always disrupt any possible relationship between Ethan and Mattie.
I predict that some dark secret about Ethan Frome will be reveiled to the narrator. The two of them will become very close and the narrator will become Ethan's only friend.
This is like a fairytale for the reasons most people so far have said. It is told like a grandfather tells younger kids about when he was younger, and the problems he had, such as the forbiden love for Mattie. It is way too predictable something bad is going to happen between Mattie and Ethan. No story ever is entirely positive. In this case I think something negative will occur because of Mattie and Ethan's forbidden love. I also think the cold, icy, and snowy landscape reflect Ehan's bleak outlook on life.
I am totally in love with this story, I am a person that loves a good love story. It is very mush like a fairytale novel because there is a "prince" (Ethan), and "princess" (Mattie), and and "evil" person (Zenna). Like in Cinderella, Mattie is like a peasent doing all the work. I, however, find the novel not like a fairytale. It is more like a real life story. This is because it has to do with making the mistake of marring someone Ethan thought he loved latter to find that he loved another. Also, many fairytales do not include adultry.
I find it interesting that the girl that meats Ethan in the beginning of the novel name is Madeline, and the girl he fell in love with name is Mattie. Mattie is an abrieviation for Madeline. I found it symbolic.
I believe, like all great love stories, the love will come to an end. There will be a terrible ending to the novel that forever shatters Ethan's heart, and possibly a child will come of his affair with Mattie. I believe that Madeline is Mattie and Ethan's child because of the likelyness of the two names.
The story could be a "realistically disguised" fairytale, because Ethan Frome as the main character falls in love with the princess (Mattie) but there's a old witch who wants to ruin their relationship (Zeena). Ironically though, Zeena is actually his wife, which makesthe story stray away from the whole fairytale genre.
I think Ethan will end up doing something he regrets in the long run with Mattie, and Zeena will come into the picture and ruin his life. (Hence the accident he somehow gets into, and how he doesnt seem to own much in the prologue). But there is not doubt that Ethan loves Mattie, and would really do anything for her.
This story is similar to a fairytale because it gives you a lot of the background details. Right from the first couple pages you know the setting and a good amount of the main character (at least oservations made by others...). You also get the feel that the narrator is involoved with the situation and is looking back on it. This is also similar to a fairytale that has been passed down for several generations (similar to what nikki, alicia, steph & several others said). So the reader knows the background but not the actual story. At first, the reader is also intriqued about what happened with and to Ethan Frome. I feel like there is something wierd and unexpected going on in his life. Maybe that is why he stayed even though they said at the beginning that all the smart ones leave. The thing keeping him there is the fact that he wants to be with Mattie. This will proabably turn into something that will ruin both of them.
The novel fits into the genre of fairytale because in fairy tales there usually is a forbidden romance or a romance that has many obstacles. The obstacle in this romance is Ethan's wife Zeena. Ethan and Mattie are two lovers who can not be with one another because of his wife. Another obstacle to reveal their romance is when the cat breaks Ethan and Zeena's wedding dish. I think the cat symbolizes Zeena. When they are both reaching for the milk and their hands touch, that is when the cat knocks over the dish and breaks it. This creates a conflict because Zeena never used this dish, not even for special occasions. Zeena is going to start to put together the pieces and figure out Ethan and Mattie's secret. My prediction is that Mattie and Ethan will not be able to keep up their romance quiet. I think it will be a tragedy and Mattie and Ethan's lives with alter, not for the better.
The begining of the story reminds me of sitting in front of a fire with one of my grandparents. It has all the elements of a fairytale because it seems more of a story that was not thought of than something realistic. Ethan Frome dooes a great job at explaining the beautiful landscape. I believe however the scenery could play a role later in the book. For example the sled could stand for danger to come ahead because going sledding can be a dangerous thing to do. Also the winter landscape could symbolize lover or it could symbolize the harsh conditions to come.
This story is a fairy tale because it is a romantic story. Ethan Frome is married to Zeena, but loves Mattie. A hero is being portrayed and an evil villian is being portrayed. I believe that the hero will be Ethan Frome and the villain/ witch will be his wife, Zeena.
The cat and pickle dish are symbolic in chapter IV because at first Ethan and Mattie are carrying on a lovely conversation and are beggining to show their feeling towards one another. But, once the cat breaks Zeena's favorite wedding present (the pickle dish) their conversation is shattered. As Ethan arranges the broken fragments of the pickle dish into a perfect form, it looks promising, but it really symoblizes the fact that Zeena's and Ethan's marraige and the plate can fall apart at any time.
This tale, so far, is very entertaining in its bleak and dark projection of winter and how it is so different from the warmth of the home. I also find the romance that is implied between Mattie and Ethan to be very heartwarming (ha ha heartWARMING) yet I can't help but feel sorrow for I have a feeling that this tale has a very sad ending. The fairytale aspect of this story comes into play as characters from the story become your cliche fairytale characters but with a dark and winter-esque theme. Ethan is obviously somewhat of a tragic hero, though I doubt he dies. Mattie is your typical "beautiful princess" and Zeena comes off as somewhat of a Xenophobic evil step-sister. I think Zeena and Xenophobia are grouped because she opposes those things such as Mattie that are intruding into her life.
GRaag! I wanted to punch Ethan the entire time I was reading this. WHY ARE YOU DOING THAT!!! YOU KNOW ITS GOING TO GET YOU INTO TROUBLE!!! WHY HAVE AN AFFAIR!!!
It's like watching a train wreck in slow motion. You can stop it, and its bound to happen, but it's just not there.....quite....yet...
Anyway, so this love affair between Mattie and Ethan seems to be a very, very, very bad idea. And high fives to the cat for getting in the way. Might the kitty be a symbol for a conscience? The cat is innocent (its an animal-it doesn't know any better) just as the personification of a conscience would be, and it comes in between the couple before things get too steamy. Good kitty-kitty.
Now the overall vibe of the ladnscape and the relationships Ethan seems to be having with people is very cold. Hey, that fits with the landscape. The wintry landscape is cold and rather dull, just as the relationship that Ethan has with his wife. It's so sad. They seem like a nice couple too....
O.k.
I'm done now...
The ending is very bitter. I felt that Ethan hurt everybody in his decison to end all with Mattie. It is ironic that Ethan chose to be in front so that he would be hurt the most but enevitably turns the antithesis. Mattie's life also was ruined in that she became bitter. It is like Ethan is not supposed to be happy. Recalling the epitaph, he must endure his wife and the loss in terms of hope from Mattie. To say that it is in peace probably refers to that nothing exciting or extraordinary occured in Ethan's kitchen or in his love. It really took the turn against a fairytale because all characters' lives were ruined. The low prince, the "silver" princess, and the wicked "witch" doctor. The ending is quite surprising. If Mattie and/or Ethan died the story would have ended on a higher note. The fact that they lived really made it real and thus breaking away from a fairytale. It really makes the story "stark" and almost purely pessimistic.
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