Internal and External Beauty in Ethan Frome
Internal and External Beauty in Ethan Frome
In the novel Ethan Frome, Edith Wharton, Mattie Silver and Zeena Frome are extremely different people in physical appearance as well as personality. In the Novel Edith Wharton depicts these contrasts to the reader in many ways. Ethan Frome is married to Zeena and has this undying love for Zeena’s cousin Mattie. Through the course of the story the love plays out and all sorts of things start to happen.
Zeena Frome is the sickly, stubborn wife of Ethan. They met when Zeena came to help care for Ethan’s mother. After they were married she became terribly ill and could or would not do most things for her self. She has a very grumpy and stubborn attitude towards everything and is never happy. Zeena is a very cold-hearted and unthouhtful person in everything she does and says. She spends Ethan’s money on expensive remedies to cure her “illness” and does not even think of the effect it will have. “Zeena always came back laden with expensive remedies, and her last visit to Springfield had been commemorated by her paying twenty dollars for an electric battery of which she had never been able to learn to use”(47). Also when she discovers that’s she needs a professional to care for her and help around the house she kicks Mattie out of the house as if it is no big deal. Although Mattie is family and has nowhere to go Zeena is too stubborn to let her stay. “Zeena never changed her mind and in her case a resolve once taken was equivalent to an act performed” (90)
Mattie has the complete opposite traits from those of Zeena; she is lively and not sickly and always has a smile. She is very kind hearted and always thinks of other people. She is grateful to everything that Ethan and Zeena have to done for her. For instance when Zeena is sick and wont come down Mattie treats her so well even though she does not get the same in return. “Oh, I’m sorry! Aren’t you well? Sha’n’t I bring you a bite of something?”(86) She also is very kind to Ethan. She always showed compassion towards him because she knew that Zeena never would. He loved to pick her up...