Symbolism In Edith Warton's Ethan Frome
Edith Warton made the novel a journey. Beginning it with the emanating of the love from Ethan to Mattie, then gradually making the situation of adultery, dishonesty, and lack of responsibility worse until the novel has completely turned itself around and the love it once emanated is turned into a symbol for the sin and malice embedded in human nature.
Ethan Frome’s love for Mattie and ignorance towards Zeena shows the human weakness & corruption inherent in everyone. The novel’s description of Ethan begins with his lack of care for his wife. Edith Warton portrays this messaged through the imagery of Ethan pocketing Zeena’s medications “without a glance, as if too much used to them to wonder at their number and variety, and would then turn away with a silent nod to the post-master,” portraying the fact that Ethan just doesn’t care about his wife that much anymore. What decent man doesn’t care about his …show more content…
The 10 plagues of Egypt led to the Exodus, in which the Jews received the 10 commandments, the 7th of which was “Do not commit Adultery,” which was one of the main points in this novel. The 9th plague was also a result of the slavery of the Jews, which was a sin and led to guilt by the Pharaoh that he ignored until his son was killed by the Angel of Death in the 10th plague. Finally, the allusion is used because the Jews were enslaved because of their sins. They ignored their moral responsibilities and stopped fully believing and worshiping G-d. They suffered because they ignored their responsibilities, just as Ethan did. All of these troubles were present in Ethan’s life, and in society. Edith Warton was trying to show that these three flaws in humanity will be ever-present in human nature, and will be in society for years to
Ethan Frome’s love for Mattie and ignorance towards Zeena shows the human weakness & corruption inherent in everyone. The novel’s description of Ethan begins with his lack of care for his wife. Edith Warton portrays this messaged through the imagery of Ethan pocketing Zeena’s medications “without a glance, as if too much used to them to wonder at their number and variety, and would then turn away with a silent nod to the post-master,” portraying the fact that Ethan just doesn’t care about his wife that much anymore. What decent man doesn’t care about his …show more content…
The 10 plagues of Egypt led to the Exodus, in which the Jews received the 10 commandments, the 7th of which was “Do not commit Adultery,” which was one of the main points in this novel. The 9th plague was also a result of the slavery of the Jews, which was a sin and led to guilt by the Pharaoh that he ignored until his son was killed by the Angel of Death in the 10th plague. Finally, the allusion is used because the Jews were enslaved because of their sins. They ignored their moral responsibilities and stopped fully believing and worshiping G-d. They suffered because they ignored their responsibilities, just as Ethan did. All of these troubles were present in Ethan’s life, and in society. Edith Warton was trying to show that these three flaws in humanity will be ever-present in human nature, and will be in society for years to