Analysis Of Ethan Frome By Edith Wharton
The choices a person can make in a single heart beat can affect their entire life. Life can be cruel and unforgiving. Ethan Frome written by Edith Wharton and published in 1911 is a concrete example of how life can be a tragedy. The novel is about how Ethan Frome became disabled and the choice he had made decades ago that lead to the accident—or how the locals in the story prefer to call it as Ethan’s “smash-up.” His accident was the conclusion to his escape from his miserable life with an impossible love. Unfortunately, his choice did not go as plan and permanently impacted the lives of his sick wife Zenobia, his love interest Mattie, and Ethan himself. Another example of life being cruel and unforgiving is in the film Harold and Maude released in 1971. The film displays a young man fixated with death named Harold and his short-lived relationship with a woman on the verge of becoming 80 years old, Maude. Harold just like Ethan found an impossible love interest with Maude. Maude did not want to live pass 80 and decided to die on her own terms. Life is not always sunshine and happy-ending like those in fairy tales, Ethan and Harold are completely different characters but have a few parallels in common.