Nick Patten English 11 hon.

2/1/11 Period 6

Ethan Frome Essay

Through out the span of time, there have been many parallel characters through out the many realms of literature. In the allegory Animal Farm, by George Orwell, the character Napoleon was created to parallel the infamous Josef Stalin; in the immortal story of A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens, the ghost of Christmas future was created to parallel the ghastly Grim Reaper; in the movie Shutter Island, the character Teddy Daniels was created to parallel Darl Bundren of As I Lay Dying, by William Faulkner, so on and so forth. The modernist novel Ethan Frome, by Edith Wharton, does not default from this pattern either. The protagonist, Ethan Frome, can be seen as a direct correlation to the Shakespearean tragic hero, Othello, from the play write Othello. The theme of missing elements in both of their lives, coupled with their tragic flaws, which eventually lead to their respective downfalls. Both Ethan Frome and Othello are victims of the missing element motif. In Othello, his missing element comes in the form of a prized handkerchief. Othello gives this handkerchief to his wife, Desdemona, as a token of his love and affection for her. In the course of a day, the handkerchief ends up missing and is finally found in the possession of the promiscuous courtesan, Bianca. This loss of an object symbolizes the absence of trust in the Othello and Desdemonas relationship, due to the sadistic agenda of the ensign, Iago. In Ethan Frome, the missing element takes

Nick Patten English 11 hon. 2/1/11 Period 6 the form of a pair of keys and an L shaped structure in the farmhouse. Both of these objects can be seen as symbols of the missing love in Ethan and Zeena Fromes unhealthy marriage. Due to Ethans desperate need of some sort of companionship and Othellos gullibility, they both fall susceptible to losing not only their possession of various items but also key elements in a substantial relationship. Ethan and Othello both share another common element in the character. Both character share the curse of a tragic flaw, with Othellos being his gullibility and Ethans being his lack of will. In Othello, Iago consistently manipulates Othello to the point where he is nearly brainwashed in a pool of hatred and paranoia. His gullibility is so lethal, he is drawn to the realization that he must kill his wife to absolve her of her adultery. This is parallel to Ethans lack of mental strength and posterity. In Chapter 7 the novel reads, Al the long misery of his baffled past, of his youth of failure, hardship and vain effort, rose up in his out in bitterness and seemed to take shape before him in the woman who at every turn had barred his way. She had taken everything else from him; and now she meant to take the one thing that made up for all the others. For a moment such a flame of hate rose in him that it ran down his arm and clenched his fist against her. He took a wild step forward and then stopped. Youre- youre not coming down? he said in a bewildered voice. This quote speaks to Ethans lack of a fiery personality. It is evident that Ethan is boiling with rage and emotion, but he does not have the power to project his emotions into action and speech. This leads him down a life of misery and oppression, as he can never stand up to his maliciously controlling and manipulative wife, Zeena.

Nick Patten English 11 hon. 2/1/11 Period 6 Literature, much like history, has a habit for repeating and reliving itself. Whether is through the novel of an unconfident handyman in Massachusetts or an unstable general of the Venetian army, the motifs are the same. Although separated by centuries of literary growth and evolution, one can see how literature has a bond that not even time itself can break.

Nick Patten English 11 hon. 2/1/11 Period 6 Works Cited

"'Ethan Frome' Quotes." Books & Literature Classics. Web. 05 Feb. 2012. <http://classiclit.about.com/od/ethanfromeedithwharton/a/aa_efromequot es.htm>.

"Ethan Frome Quotes." Shmoop: Homework Help, Teacher Resources, Test Prep. Web. 05 Feb. 2012. <http://www.shmoop.com/ethan-frome/quotes.html>.

Wharton, Edith. Ethan Frome. New York: Scribner, 1939. Print.