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3.31 AVERAGE
3.31 AVERAGE
A story of resigned reasonableness and painful sparks of hope
It pays to be patient with Ethan Frome as its melancholic conflict doesn't truly take hold until the breaking of a pickle dish. From that moment on, author Edith Wharton wrings a towel of tension tighter and tighter as an unassuming and pathetic farmer works up the nerve to escape his domineering and ailing wife. And then, when we've settled into one expected outcome or another, the author snaps the one wet end of the taught towel, hitting us with an unfulfilling but ironic twist.
The appeal of this timeless and tragic novel can only be explained by a never-ending audience of people who can relate to Frome's circumstances. He has made his bed and expects to lie in it for better or worse, mostly worse. Setting the story against the harsh cold of a New England winter only underpins his misery. He is a man who works an unproductive farm, shoulders additional burdens for his neighbors, and supports a hopeless marriage to an unappreciative spouse.
Is it any wonder that Frome will fall for his wife's life-in cousin after being granted the smallest of courtesies and kindnesses? And is it any wonder that he would struggle with making even one bold move toward his happiness? And is it any wonder that his crime of indecision should solidify a life sentence? The real tragedy is that Ethan Frome, even after 110 years, is not alone.
The appeal of this timeless and tragic novel can only be explained by a never-ending audience of people who can relate to Frome's circumstances. He has made his bed and expects to lie in it for better or worse, mostly worse. Setting the story against the harsh cold of a New England winter only underpins his misery. He is a man who works an unproductive farm, shoulders additional burdens for his neighbors, and supports a hopeless marriage to an unappreciative spouse.
Is it any wonder that Frome will fall for his wife's life-in cousin after being granted the smallest of courtesies and kindnesses? And is it any wonder that he would struggle with making even one bold move toward his happiness? And is it any wonder that his crime of indecision should solidify a life sentence? The real tragedy is that Ethan Frome, even after 110 years, is not alone.
I can't see how this is considered a 'masterpiece' by Edith Wharton. The brevity of this novel mirrors the depth of its characters. Ethan is doomed to be miserable because he wants to be! His sick mother makes him sad; his sick wife; his ailing concubine. Beauty is something you have to look for--but Ethan can't be bothered. It was hard to see the good or even the interesting in someone like that. And Mattie? Oh, please. I'm not convinced she even loved Ethan. She got on with him as well as she did with anyone; no more, no less. He was nothing special to her. Their 'love' was not love, just boredom on both parts.
The grass will always be greener on the other side for Ethan. Mattie just needed a home. Zeena was the only character worth a damn; fighting to save and keep what she loved; keeping and caring for the two who betrayed her. She got the short end of the stick, poor thing. Oh how she suffered for the affection she bestowed. How she quietly lamented all that she had lost and all that she was losing. Once again Edith Wharton vilifies the only character with any character.
Also, what was Mattie's problem? Did she, or did she not tell Ethan that they should kill themselves? Had she just finished reading Romeo and Juliet? Only a frivolous, idiotic little girl would think it a good idea and/or romantic. What utter hogwash.
I did not enjoy this story. I would not recommend this story. If you want a Wharton tale, stick to House of Mirth. 1.5/5
The grass will always be greener on the other side for Ethan. Mattie just needed a home. Zeena was the only character worth a damn; fighting to save and keep what she loved; keeping and caring for the two who betrayed her. She got the short end of the stick, poor thing. Oh how she suffered for the affection she bestowed. How she quietly lamented all that she had lost and all that she was losing. Once again Edith Wharton vilifies the only character with any character.
Also, what was Mattie's problem? Did she, or did she not tell Ethan that they should kill themselves? Had she just finished reading Romeo and Juliet? Only a frivolous, idiotic little girl would think it a good idea and/or romantic. What utter hogwash.
I did not enjoy this story. I would not recommend this story. If you want a Wharton tale, stick to House of Mirth. 1.5/5
Prose just as gorgeous as The Age of Innocence, with a much less compelling love story. Luckily, what it lacks in heart it makes up for in brevity. A short, good read.
Alas but it falls to me to denigrate such a classic of American literature. The melodrama! That passionate love for a good listener, that wedding pickle dish broken, that attempted joint-suicide by deliberately crashing a sled into an elm tree (points for creativity, I suppose). I didn't have enough sympathy for the characters to keep from laughing. How hard-hearted I am.
The descriptions of Massachusetts winters read lovely and true, though I do like them a lot better than everyone in this book seemed to.
The descriptions of Massachusetts winters read lovely and true, though I do like them a lot better than everyone in this book seemed to.
dark
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Wharton was always better sticking to NY high society. This New England portrait is just completely bleak as hell, and I don't necessarily understand what sin Ethan Frome is paying for. Is life just that relentlessly terrible than he deserved suffering with no way out? I feel for the Pain of Bad Marriage, but I might be missing something. The writing is good, no question there.
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No