Edith Wharton (given name Jones) was born into a wealthy New York family that gave her opportunities to travel Europe and was fortunate enough to give her a private tutor (“Edith Wharton”). She married a banker named Edward Wharton and they moved to Lenox, Massachusetts together, where they watched local farmers. She used her observations to write the 19th century classic, Ethan Frome, about the relationship struggles between Ethan Frome, his wife Zeena, and her cousin Mattie Silver (Wharton). The book uses symbolism and the three parts of the subconscious, namely id, superego, and ego, to form a story full of foreshadowing and characters’ secret desires (“Id”; “Ego”; “Superego”). Wharton’s Etham Frome tells the story of Ethan Frome and his secret love for Mattie Silver by using symbolism and the three parts of the subconscious to create foreshadowing while revealing the desires of characters. Wharton uses symbolism in a variety of ways such as to express foreshadowing and connect events in the book to the weather.
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In the beginning of the book, or in the beginning of the vision of Frome’s story from his guest, the “village lay under two feet of snow…” (Wharton 11). This sets the stage for the book by giving the story a dreary, gloomy backdrop that stays consistent throughout the story, and it foreshadows/causes the grim event of Mattie’s paralysis and Ethan’s disfigurement in their sledding accident (72-73). Other symbolism is present in the Frome’s cat, the pickle dish, and Mattie’s red scarf. The Frome’s cat symbolizes Zeena when she is away because of its silent observations and of how it interrupts a moment between Mattie and Ethan when it breaks the pickle dish (35). The pickle dish symbolized Ethan and Zeena’s marriage, as it was something they received as a wedding gift (35). When Ethan pieced it together to give it a repaired appearance at a distance, he symbolized that his marriage with Zeena may appear fine on the surface, but is broken underneath (36). When connected to other pieces of literature, such as The Scarlet Letter, Mattie’s red scarf stands for adultery the same as Hester Prynne’s red “A” did. Wharton’s use of symbolism can help the reader perceive foreshadowing and give one insight into the meanings of various objects in the book. The three parts of the subconscious can explain the actions of Ethan Frome and Mattie Silver. The three parts of the subconscious are id, ego, and superego. Interactions between the three determine human behavior (“Superego”). Id means “the part of the personality that includes basic biological impulses…The id operates on the ‘pleasure principle’…” (“Id”). Both Ethan and Mattie expressed the need for pleasure in their relationship with one another, as they longed for a more intimate relationship with one another to the point that they chose to commit suicide together (Wharton 71). Ego is “that portion of the personality that imposes realistic limitations on [id behavior]” (“Ego”). While Ethan and Mattie had their subconscious id desires for each other, they also had realizations that a relationship between them would not work throughout the book. One specific realization came after Zeena made rude remarks towards Mattie over breaking the pickle dish, and Ethan proceeded to write Zeena a note that said, “Maybe both of us will do better separate. I’m going to try
In the beginning of the book, or in the beginning of the vision of Frome’s story from his guest, the “village lay under two feet of snow…” (Wharton 11). This sets the stage for the book by giving the story a dreary, gloomy backdrop that stays consistent throughout the story, and it foreshadows/causes the grim event of Mattie’s paralysis and Ethan’s disfigurement in their sledding accident (72-73). Other symbolism is present in the Frome’s cat, the pickle dish, and Mattie’s red scarf. The Frome’s cat symbolizes Zeena when she is away because of its silent observations and of how it interrupts a moment between Mattie and Ethan when it breaks the pickle dish (35). The pickle dish symbolized Ethan and Zeena’s marriage, as it was something they received as a wedding gift (35). When Ethan pieced it together to give it a repaired appearance at a distance, he symbolized that his marriage with Zeena may appear fine on the surface, but is broken underneath (36). When connected to other pieces of literature, such as The Scarlet Letter, Mattie’s red scarf stands for adultery the same as Hester Prynne’s red “A” did. Wharton’s use of symbolism can help the reader perceive foreshadowing and give one insight into the meanings of various objects in the book. The three parts of the subconscious can explain the actions of Ethan Frome and Mattie Silver. The three parts of the subconscious are id, ego, and superego. Interactions between the three determine human behavior (“Superego”). Id means “the part of the personality that includes basic biological impulses…The id operates on the ‘pleasure principle’…” (“Id”). Both Ethan and Mattie expressed the need for pleasure in their relationship with one another, as they longed for a more intimate relationship with one another to the point that they chose to commit suicide together (Wharton 71). Ego is “that portion of the personality that imposes realistic limitations on [id behavior]” (“Ego”). While Ethan and Mattie had their subconscious id desires for each other, they also had realizations that a relationship between them would not work throughout the book. One specific realization came after Zeena made rude remarks towards Mattie over breaking the pickle dish, and Ethan proceeded to write Zeena a note that said, “Maybe both of us will do better separate. I’m going to try