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Symbolism In Edith Wharton's Ethan Frome

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Symbolism In Edith Wharton's Ethan Frome
Edith Wharton’s 1911 novel, Ethan Frome, is a highly symbolic story that focuses on the relationships and personas of the characters through the use of various symbols. Due to its minimalistic detail, more focus is placed on subtle symbolic references in relation to character traits and thematic issues. Wharton illustrates this attention to detail through subtle references to Zenobia’s, which audibly mimics the term xenophobia, distrust of her cousin’s foreign presence in her home through symbolism. Edith Wharton’s Ethan Frome highlights Zenobia’s distrust of Mattie Silver through the symbolic representation of the Frome’s cat. The Frome’s cat stands out as a symbolic representation of Zenobia by embodying her characteristics while she
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