Zenobia ethan frome book

Ethan frome an early twentieth century psychological thriller of sorts. In ethan frome, his decisions and ambiguity to leave zenobia and run off with mattie lead him to attempting suicide, failing, and then a life of misery. Its a great story and its hard to go totally wrong with it, but its an old fashioned story, and more slow and steady than filled with amazing or surprising turns and emotional insights. Frome and zeena marry after she nurses his mother in her last illness. The main characters are ethan frome, his wife zenobia, called zeena, and her young cousin mattie silver. Ethan frome by edith wharton nook book ebook barnes. Ethan frome is set in the fictional new england town of starkfield, where a visiting engineer tells the story of his encounter with ethan frome, a man with a history of thwarted dreams and desires. After ethan and matties sledding accident, she cares for them and runs the household. Zenobia frome correlates herself with the evil queen. This book comes with an introduction by dr donald r makosky, professor of english, st lawrence university. The sunrise burned red in a pure sky, the shadows on the rim of the woodlot were darkly blue, and beyond the white and scintillating fields patches of faroff forest hung like smoke.

It is set in the fictitious town of starkfield, massachusetts. She has false teeth and her hair is kept in place with crimping pins. Zeena had sacrificed her life to the man she loved, ethan frome. This very sad tale ethan frome is an account of the life of zenobia frome, zeena. Ethan frome is a 1911 book by american author edith wharton. Although frome seems ambitious and intelligent, zeena holds him back. While she is technically the victim of ethans plans to commit adultery, the reader comes to sympathize much more with ethan, because he feels imprisoned in his marriage to the sickly and shrewish zeena.

A nameless engineer is in starkfield, massachusetts on business and he first sees ethan frome at the post office. However, these follies cannot be dismissed as fate, for it is ethans own choices that decide his future. Wharton describes zeenas physical appearance as gaunt, wrinkled, and sallowfaced. Ethan frome in the novel ethan frome by edith wharton, ethans wife zeena plays an important role in the novel. For your reference, we provided these ethan frome quotes with page numbers using the following version of the book. Ethan is waiting outside a church dance for mattie, his wifes cousin, who lives with ethan and his wife zeena zenobia to help around the house since zeena is sickly. She is acutely interested in the treatment of her own illness, displaying a degree of. Ethan frome by edith wharton meet your next favorite book. Ethan frome book by edith wharton official publisher page. They seemed to come suddenly upon happiness as if they had surprised a butterfly in the winter woods. Characters zenobia zeena frome though zeena is not as rounded a character as her husband, the negative aspects of her personality emerge quite clearly, making her seem like the novels villain. Though logically we know that zeena is a victim her husband has fallen in love with another woman and constantly considers leaving her she comes off as the bad guy. Zenobia pierce frome zeena, ethans wife, a distant cousin who nursed his mother during a long illness.

On one hand, zenobia, commonly called zeena, frome has been a longstanding part of ethans life. According to ethan, she learned how to care for the sick by being sick herself. In fact, sometimes, it is hard to call it even a tragedy as. Character analysis zenobia zeena frome zeenas character is revealed through ethans memory and the action of the main story, and through hints from characters in the frame story. Character profile for zeena frome from ethan frome page 1. We know that the narrator is entirely biased and that he portrays everything the way he imagines ethan must have seen it see narrator point of view for more specifics. What we witness in that book is a human tragedy, not a sacrifice. Zeenas character is revealed through ethans memory and the action of the main story, and through hints from characters in the frame story.

Mattie silver was the daughter of a cousin of zenobia fromes, who had inflamed his clan with mingled sentiments of envy and admiration by. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one. In a sky of iron the points of the dipper hung like icicles and orion flashed his cold fires. Ethan frome drove in silence, the reins loosely held in his left hand, his brown seamed profile, under the helmetlike peak of the cap, relieved against the banks of snow like the bronze image of a hero. The frome family farm is quickly plummeting downward when it comes to income, leaving ethan scrambling for cash to support his ill wife and her visits to doctors from distant. At intervals, however, the postmaster would hand him an envelope addressed to mrs. Mattie silver was the daughter of a cousin of zenobia frome s, who had inflamed his clan with mingled sentiments of envy and admiration by descending from the hills to connecticut, where he had married a stamford girl and succeeded to her fathers thriving drug business. Ethans colors symbolism approach to interpretation has so many possibilitiesso many paths to consider.

She is a hypochondriac, constantly suffering from a variety of physical ailments. The ethan frome quotes below are all either spoken by zenobia zeena frome or refer to zenobia zeena frome. Ethan frome book by edith wharton official publisher. Ethan frome 1993 this is a classic edith wharton melodrama, a hyperromantic short novel that has turned on and turned off many high schoolers and literature majors over the years. Ethans wife, who is 35 at the time of the main narrative, is described as already an old woman, with false teeth, wrinkles, a skeletal physique, and a sallow complexion. Like ethan, they are both bent badly out of shape and need care. In edith wartons novel, ethan frome, three main characters remorse over their mistakes they decide to make. Our protagonist, the novels namesake, is surrounded by pestilence and misfortune.

Zenobia frome zeena ethan s wife and matties cousin. The novel was adapted into a film, ethan frome, in 1993. Zenobia frome called zeena throughout the book, she is the wife of ethan frome. Opposite the varnum gate, where the road fell away toward the corbury valley, the church reared its slim white steeple and narrow peristyle. Ethan frome cliffsnotes study guides book summaries. Both the house and ethan were shaped by the harsh winters and the many people who lived in the. On the way down, a vision of zeenas face startles ethan into swerving a bit, but he corrects their course, and they crash headlong and at high. Zenobia zeena frome character analysis in ethan frome. His initial impressions are based on his observations of frome going about his mundane tasks in starkfield, and something. Zenobia zeena frome character analysis just great database.

Furthermore, zeena, a hypochondriac in the eyes of ethan frome, is used as a foil for mattie silver. She was named after the great roman queen who led a revolt against the empire somewhat. In a reworking of the book edith whartons ethan frome, zenobia frome is given her own voice, which she uses to tell of the events and emotions that led her to. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. While she is technically the victim of ethans plans to commit adultery, the reader comes to sympathize much more with ethan, because he feels. Ethan frome wharton, edith, leyris, pierre, leyris. The themetracker below shows where, and to what degree, the theme of duty and morality vs.

A novel of great intensity with its slow developing tragedy and characters. Ethan frome project gutenberg selfpublishing ebooks. After the death of the mother, ethan married zenobia, most likely out of pity. She is seen as a mysterious alien presence and an evil energy. Ethan frome by edith wharton introduction i had the story, bit by bit, from various people, and, as generally happens in such cases, each time it was a different story.

On a poor farm near starkfield in western massachusetts, ethan frome struggles to wrest a living from the land, unassisted by his whining and hypochondriacal wife zeena. Zeenafrome, and usually bearing conspicuously in the upper lefthand corner the address of some manufacturer of patent. When her young cousin mattie comes to stay on their new england farm, frome falls in love with her. Ethan frome is a novel where the very limits of humanity is forced, tested and tresspassed on. There was some hauling to be done at the lower end of the woodlot, and ethan was out early the next day. Mattie is given the occasional night off to entertain herself in town as partial recompense for taking care of the frome family without pay, and ethan has fallen into the. In the book ethan frome, he and mattie take one last ride down the hill on the sled. In the dark and gloomy tale of ethan frome, the story emerges as an inverted fairytale. Young ethan frome walked at a quick pace along the deserted street, past the bank and michael eadys new brick store and lawyer varnums house with the two black norway spruces at the gate.

It was one of those stories that you just didnt know what to think about the husband falling in love with his wifes cousin mattie who was working. She was named after the great roman queen who led a revolt against the empire somewhat like princess leia. An exciting approach to interpretation and criticism, comparable to hunting, finding the symbols, an object or image that, although interesting in its own right, stands for or suggests something larger and more complexoften an idea or a range of. This causeandeffect was solely the work of ethan in an attempt to fix his previous decision of marrying zenobia which led to a life of ennui. May 21, 2010 based on the novel by edith wharton, starring liam neeson, patricia arquette and a wonderfully prickly joan allen as zeena. Ethan fromes house is wearing away from the many winters it has faced. The fairy maiden anthropomorphizes into a greater evil. She comes across as prematurely aged, caustic in temperament, prone to alternating fits of silence and rage, and utterly unattractive, making her the novels least sympathetic figure. His family has died and he has a wife that is continually sick, and the only form of. Ethan is a man in his early fifties who is obviously strong, and obviously crippled. Zenobia frome zeena ethans wife and matties cousin.

The man becomes fascinated with ethan and wants to know his story. Ethan frome is a harrowing tale of one mans bitter failures in life. Zeena first came to live on the frome farm to help care for ethans parents. Mattie is given the occasional night off to entertain herself in town as partial recompense for helping care for the fromes, and ethan has the duty of walking. Originally she was brought to fromes house to care for his ailing mother, but after she married ethan she became a querulous hypochondriac alternating between long bouts of silence and then rage. Originally came to starkfield to take care of ethans ailing mother. Get everything you need to know about zenobia zeena frome in ethan frome. It was their intention to hit the tree head on and lose their lives, but children were in the way and they had. She is a cold, unhappy, domineering woman who whines and complains incessantly. Zeena frome, and usually bearing conspicuously in the upper lefthand corner the address of some manufacturer of patent medicine and the name of his specific. Both of my sons love this book and talk about it frequently. The younger one mentioned it recently, and i decided to give it a read.

Character ethan frome, the main character in the book entitled ethan frome, by edith wharton, has many complex problems going on at the same time. Within the story three main characters, ethan, mattie, and zenobia, are trapped under their own consequences. Ethan frome is a powerful story about powerless people. I dont remember ever reading it though i saw the movie with liam neeson and patricia arquette a long time ago. Both ethan and the house represent that many things have come and gone over them, most of which were failures. The village lay under two feet of snow, with drifts at the windy corners. Character analysis zenobia zeena frome wharton describes zeenas physical appearance as gaunt, wrinkled, and sallowfaced. Here the main focus is on ethans disagreeable wife, zenobia, from her unhappy childhood through her arrival at the dismal frome farm to her subsequent.

Litcharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in ethan frome, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work. The accumulated longing of frome ends in an ironic turn of events. Compare and contrast of zeena and mattie essay 687 words. Based on the novel by edith wharton, starring liam neeson, patricia arquette and a wonderfully prickly joan allen as zeena. We know that when zeena became ethans wife, she transformed into a sick woman. Zenobia frome ethans sickly wife, more commonly known as zeena.

The marriage is loveless, and zeena is sickly and nagging. The title character is held in thrall by his parents, his land, his poverty, and his lifeless and loveless marriage. Her mind was a storehouse of innocuous anecdote and any question about her acquaintances brought forth a volume of detail. The younger one mentioned it recently, and i decided to give it a. Ethan frome cliffsnotes study guides book summaries, test. I want to be there when youre sick and when youre lonesome. Though zeena is not as rounded a character as her husband, the negative aspects of her personality emerge quite clearly, making her seem like the novels.