Contrast of Zeena and Mattie in “Ethan Frome” Essay

Some decisions submit an everlasting effect on ones purport. Ethan Frome, the protagonist in Edith Whartons Ethan Frome, is tormented by his passionate love for Mattie Silver, but is morally shackled to Zeena by the sacred bonds of marriage. After years of harsh animation with his wife in the dreary town of Starkefield, Ethan obtains to believe that his greatest come across at a riant life is with Mattie Silver, a cousin of Zeena, who has come to live with him. However, in the end Matties other side, one which is inordinately similar to Zeenas attitude, comes to light, aft(prenominal) a thwarted suicide attempt. In Ethan Frome, Edith Wharton throws an ironic comment on the plectrums present in an impoverished solid ground by presenting contrasting images to describe Zeena Frome and Mattie Silver, yet withal presenting details which make them seem a analogous.Wharton suggests that Matties upbeat attitude, her spirited activity, and her ability to inspire cartel in Ethan, prompts him to believe that Mattie could bring him bliss. One of the reasons why Ethan thinks that Mattie could turn his life around was because she usually overflowed with cheerfulness and energy. Ethan is often fascinated by her pleasure , which to him, was a plain proof of indifference. Her cheerful image contrasts sharply with that of Zeena who is self-centered and melancholy, and brings some cheer into his otherwise tiresome life. Mattie once more exhibits her ability to circularise warmth period she learns her household duties. When Ethan sees her performing her household duties awkwardly, he bursts erupt laughing, and, to his surprise, Mattie also bursts out laughing and this made them better friends. This incident baffles Ethan who take for granted that a woman would flower with embarrassment instead of laughing it a commission(predicate) and charms him so that the idea comes to be implanted into him that Mattie would bring him a sharp life. Mattie brings him furt her happiness by s criminate listening to him especially when he talks of subjects completely new to her.When he talked just about stars on their way back from the dance, Ethan and Mattie stood entranced and gazed at the starry sky. Talking to Mattie of such subjects gives Ethan a consider adequate amount of pleasure because he could impart his knowledge to an eager, cheerful and somewhat ignorant listener. Matties colorfulness and pertness also helps Ethan to fall in love with her and strengthen his conviction that she could bring happiness into his life.Matties colorfulness and liveliness is seen in the church where Mattie is dancing. Ethan, who is seeing through the window, is entranced by her slender figure as she danced, and when scarf flew off her head and stood out hindquarters her shouldersrevealing her laughing panting lips. By just looking at her dance, Ethan seems to office the joy that Mattie feels as she dances. Her liveliness also differs with that of Zeena who is something of a cold, selfish retract and seldom goes outside for the fear of her health. Another background in which Matties liveliness captivates Ethan is when they are alone in the living board while Zeena was in Bettsbridge.While Ethan was talking to Mattie, she changes her countenance frequently like a wheat field under a summer breeze. Ethan takes a unknown pleasure in seeing how Mattie reacts to his remarks especially when they talk about condolence Varnum and Ned Hales upcoming marriage and is overjoyed to see Mattie blush when he recounts what he saw Ruth and Ned do. Yet another scene in which Matties activity strengthens his belief is when Mattie knits by the fireplace. As she knits, he watches in admiration as her fingers fly like a braces of birds making short perpendicular flights over their nest. This encourages his notion because she seems to be able to knit like his mother could in the able days in the beginning the illness had taken her. He also shows his app reciation of her abilities by osculate the stuff she made.Matties ability to inspire office in Ethan also leads him to believe that Mattie could guide him to a happier life. Matties ability to inspire Ethans confidence is clearly shown when they are walk home from the dance. While walking home he talks to her about the Orion, Aldebaran, and the Pleiades. Mattie listens to Ethan eagerly, leading him to wonder how his dull talk could interest a care unblock person who cared little about stars. Mattie also inspires confidence in Ethan when the cat breaks the pickle dish. Shocked and frightened she raises her eyes to him for a solution and his courage was up.He is able to free her mind of the broken dish and able to mend it enough so that it would look unbroken until he could obtain some glue to destine it. Matties ability again inspires Ethan to gain self-confidence when Zeena orders Jotham Powell to take Mattie to the railroad track station. He gains self-confidence by looking a t Matties infatuated face and responds by insisting to Zeena that he would take Mattie over to the railroad station. This incident in which Ethan was able to muster enough self-confidence to mark Zeena shows how Mattie is able to directly or indirectly to encourage Ethan to have confidence in himself, thus corroborating his idea that he and Mattie could lead a happy life.Despite Matties untiring gaiety, Wharton includes scenes in which she is closely related to Zeena to imply that Ethans choice is nothing but an illusion. One of such scenes in which Mattie closely resembles Zeena is when she prepares the table when Zeena is in Bettsbridge. While she prepares the table, she uses the pickle dish which Zeena never meant for it to be used. Mattie shamelessly using the pickle dish strongly resembles the font of Zeena because like her, Mattie uses the dish secretly and with deception, a quality of Zeenas which Ethan abhors. Mattie again shows strong resemblance to Zeena when she and Et han sit down in the living room to pass time.When she sits down to sew in Zeenas chair, Ethan sees in Matties face the face of the superseded woman who was then at Bettsbridge. This shows that Ethans choice is an illusion since Zeena haunts him even when she is not present and disproves the idea that Ethan would be happy with Mattie because even then Zeenas face would haunt him. The character of Mattie after the coasting accident rudely reveals to Ethan that he had never had any choices all along. When he takes the narrator into his house, the narrator faces two women who look sickly Zeena looks old, and gray with pallid opaque eyes while Mattie looks bloodless and her eyes have a witch like stare. The narrator also reveals that Matties voice sounds querulous like Zeenas voice. This shows how Mattie and Zeena are similar and the dependency of both the invalids on Ethan turnaround to the dreams of Ethan in which he and Mattie would have been free.Wharton depicts the sharp contrast b etween the dark-skinned Zeena and the gay Mattie to imply that Ethans choice is obvious. However, Wharton includes scenes that show the resemblance of Mattie to Zeena to check the unsuspecting Ethan that Mattie has another personality, which is just as bad as that of Zeena. In the end, Ethan realizes that Mattie had just been a wolf in a sheeps habiliment and that from then on he had to carry burden to care for 2 invalids as well as himself.