Ethan Frome Edith Wharton
Discuss This Book--Ethan Frome is a man repeatedly touched bby misfortune. His father died when he was young, giving Ethan charge of the family farm. Then his mother takes ill, and Ethan has the responsibility of nursing her. This is something Ethan has never done before, so it isn't a surprise that he isn't very good at it.
A cousin, Zeena, comes to stay with them, to help nurse his mother. Ethan is overjoyed because there seems to be life in the house again. Ethan's mother dies in the winter time, the worst time of the year in that part of the country. He's sad at the thought of being completely alone for the winter, and asks Zeena to marry him. He often looks back on that winter with wonder, sometimes wishing that his mother had died in the spring. (His rationalization of this is that he wouldn't have asked Zeena to marry him in the spring, because he would have been able to go out and find company with other people about the town.) Obviously, his marriage to Zeena isn't a very happy one.
Zeena is a sickly woman, taken ill only after she married Ethan. She claims that it was the nursing of Ethan's mother that made her sick. She is constantly running off to a new doctor looking for a cure for her current ailment. No one is really sure how sick Zeena really is.
The Fromes end up taking in one of Zeena's relatives, Mattie Silver, who is left penniless when her parents die. She isn't very good around the house, but Ethan loves the short moments they spend together. He looks forward to every minute with her, and certainly loves her more than he loves his wife.
After a trip to the doctor, Zeena declares that Mattie must leave, to make room for a hired girl. She says that the doctor ordered that she not do a single thing about the house if she is to get better. This news angers Ethan, but he isn't sure how to go about saying no to his wife's request. Finally, he resolves to take Mattie to the train station himself, so he can spend a bit more time with her before she leaves.
Ethan has resolved not to let Mattie go, and still unsure of how he will do this, they are on their way to meet the train. Ethan considers going with Mattie, and taking her west to try their luck, leaving his wife behind. He is too poor to set out west, and knows that he can't turn it into reality unless he dishonestly obtains some money.
I enjoyed reading this book, but it wasn't one of my favorites. I'd recommend it to anyone who enjoys tragic love stories.
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