Written by Leya Warre
Ethan Frome is a tragedy, because the book includes much human suffering, namely Ethan’s. The story evokes pity within the reader, as Ethan is constantly kept from Mattie and his happiness because of Zeema, who does not let Ethan pursue his own desires. Additionally, the ending is pitiful, as there is not much “‘... difference between the Fromes up at the farm and the Fromes down in the graveyard…’” (130). After the smash-up, the Fromes and Mattie live together miserably, loving an undesirable life.
It makes you wonder - Would Ethan have been better off if Mattie had died?
Mrs. Hale does not see “‘... much difference between the Fromes up at the farm and the Fromes down in the graveyard...’”, implying that the residents of the Frome house are all miserable (Wharton 130). Ethan is tortured by Mattie’s presence, and may feel guilty and responsible for their pitiful future. Had Mattie died, Ethan would be able to move on from the effects of the smash-up. Though he would initially grieve, as he would be forced to endure a future without his true love, it is within human capability to recover from such a traumatizing event. With Mattie’s death, Ethan would receive a closure that he lacks in his current situation. Mattie is a living reminder of Ethan’s mistake, and her sourness emphasizes how they will never be happy together. There’s a difference between feeling guilty about something that happened in the past, as time blunts the harshness. However, with the remains of what used to be Mattie, now a completely changed and destroyed girl, living with Ethan, she haunts him mercilessly, and causes Ethan to live his life miserably.
Mattie has “...suffered too much…”, as “...she’s soured…” since the smash-up (130). We see that Ethan and Mattie do get a future together as they wished for, but both are utterly miserable. The crippling has turned Mattie sour and unpleasant, displaying the same negative aspects Ethan despised of Zeena. Similar to how Ethan is infatuated with Zeena upon meeting her, Ethan fell in love with Mattie. Zeena grew unbearable as her illness overtook her. Likewise, Mattie is following in her footsteps, trading her kind ways for irritable ones. Considering how Ethan found Zeena’s behavior irksome, Ethan will undoubtedly come to despise Mattie, as she is no longer the girl Ethan fell in love with.
Well, in that case, what is the root of Ethan's misfortune? Is Zenobia to blame for Ethan’s unhappiness?
Zenobia is to blame for Ethan’s unhappiness, as she is unpleasant and makes Ethan’s life miserable with her incessive attention-seeking personality. Right after marriage, “when [Zenobia] spoke it was only to complain, and to complain of things not in [Ethan’s] power to remedy…”, which proved to be irritable to Ethan, making day to day life with Zenobia less bearable (53). She continues to worry Ethan financially by seeking expensive and unnecessary medication for her illness. Though such annoyances may seem trivial, dealing with them for seven years, which is the amount of time Ethan and Zeena are married, may cause the quality of life to drop.
Additionally, Zenobia is constantly in the way of the relationship between Ethan and Mattie. Not only is her marriage with Ethan interfering with the happiness of the couple, but her presence and authority in the household thrusts a wall between Ethan and Mattie. The very mention of Zeena during dinner keeps Ethan and Mattie from comfortably conversing “... he felt as if Zeena were in the room between them” (61). Later, when Ethan attempts to be with Mattie in death, “... his wife’s face, with twisted monstrous lineaments, thrust itself between him and his goal…” (122). Zeena even sends Mattie away, claiming that she “...never bargained to take her for life!’”, even though the house is not even under her name (84). Also, if it weren’t for Zenobia, Ethan could move to the city as he had dreamed.
One could claim that Ethan himself is to blame for his own unhappiness due to his lack of assertiveness. However, doing so it no better than blaming a victim for being bullied because he or she is too weak or an easy target.
Additionally, one could argue that Ethan’s unhappiness is his own fault because he had become infatuated with Zenobia in the first place. He asked her to marry him on the spot despite not knowing her well. To refute, Ethan was indeed a victim, as he was in a spot of complete vulnerability, as “after [his mother’s] funeral, when [Ethan] saw [Zeena] preparing to go away, he was seized with an unreasoning dread of being left alone on the farm…” (51). Before Zeena’s arrival, Ethan was isolated and kept at home to tend to his sickly mother. When Zeena did arrive, she seemed to know everything, and her order and assertion was a comfort to Ethan. For once, someone else was taking the responsibility for him. “The mere fact of obeying [Zeena’s] orders, of feeling free to go about his business again and talk with other men, restored [Ethan’s] shaken balance and magnified his sense of what he owed her” (51). With Ethan’s mother dead and Zenobia taking her leave, it is natural that Ethan would want to keep the only beacon of hope in his life. One cannot blame him for being human and asking Zenobia to stay and marry him.
Perhaps Ethan would have found happiness out West. Had it been possible, Ethan would have found happiness out West because he would be with Mattie. He proves that he does not care of the quality of his life as long as he is not parted with Mattie. He proves this when he attempts suicide with her, giving up his life in order to be with Mattie in death. As long as the two are healthy are relatively safe, Ethan would have found happiness.
Leya Warre is a 16 year old queer writer with a passion for English literature. She lives in Missouri, but hopes to one day live in New York City as a professional editor.
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