Loneliness In Ethan Frome By Edith Wharton
Carl Jung once said, “Loneliness does not come from having no people around you, but from being unable to communicate the things that seem important to you.” After all, people in desperate situation will often feel defeated because all of their plans and ambitions in life have failed. The fact that these individuals lack a meaningful and open relationship causes them to feel depressed and unwanted, a condition that we refer to as loneliness. Loneliness is not just limited just to everyday life, but can be found as a theme in both modern and traditional literature. An example of this is Edith Wharton’s Ethan Frome, which takes place in Starkfield, a fictional town in the New England countryside. In this tragic love story, Wharton uses the theme
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of loneliness to add personality into Ethan and Zeena Frome. Jung's quote logically supports the claim that both Ethan and Zeena suffer from loneliness because the absence of a meaningful relationship does not allow them to disclose to each other about their concerns and problems.
In Wharton’s Ethan Frome, Jung’s quote captures Ethan’s absence of a meaningful relationship with his wife.
With flashbacks, Ethan recalls the time when he married his wife Zeena. The narrator says, “When they married it was agreed that, as soon as he could straighten out the difficulties resulting from Mrs. Frome’s long illness, they would sell the farm and saw-mill and try their luck in a large town… where there are lectures and big libraries and ‘fellows doing things’” (Wharton 38). Ethan has decided that while being away from Starkfield, he would become an engineer, a profession he has always wanted to be. This, along with his desire to see the world, adds to his desire to leave his hometown. The problem is that after waiting for the farm to be sold, Zeena develops hypochondria, an obsession of having a serious medical condition. This, in turns, makes Ethan’s wish to move to a larger town and become an engineer impractical. When Jung says that “Loneliness does not come from having no people around you, but from being unable to communicate the things that seem important to you,” he is suggesting that loneliness is caused by an unhealthy relationship, one without any romantic attachment. This lack of emotional bond between the couple captures Ethan’s loneliness. For example, Ethan does not take the initiative to confront his wife about his ambitions in life, something that he holds great importance to. If Ethan is not lonely, he would have no trouble explaining to Zeena about what seems important to him. However, the fact that Ethan does not have someone who understands his desire to meet new people and start life anew fulfills the requirement as to what it means to be
lonely.
Moreover, Jung’s quote also captures Zeena’s loneliness. A while after developing her sickness, Zeena falls silent. The narrator says, “Perhaps it was the the inevitable effect of life on the farm, or perhaps, as she sometimes said, it was because Ethan ‘never listened.’” (Wharton 39). But after reading the rest of the novel, the narrator may start to suspect that Zeena feels the way she does for the same reason as Ethan; Zeena has no one who understands her. Given this information, Zeena’s hypochondria may have originated from her husband’s lack of attention given to her. The fact that her sickness deepens when her husband shows interest in Mattie, her cousin, further strengthens the claim that she wants to be understood. While she does take the initiative to confront her husband about her concerns, it all comes down to her relationship with her husband. His unwillingness to listen to issues, such as sending Mattie away, is probably the main reason behind her hypochondria. For example, at the beginning of the novel, Zeena mentions about hiring a girl to replace Mattie. She says, “Well, I’d like to talk to you about it” (Wharton 19). However, all Ethan says is “All right. But I haven’t got the time now” (Wharton 19). Since Zeena cannot successfully talk to her husband about her concerns without being rejected, this circumstance fits into Jung’s definition as to what it means to be lonely. After all, she is literally unable to communicate the things that seems important to her. Here in this quote. Ethan’s insincere pretense at being concerned about Zeena’s illness further shows Zeena’s incapability to let Ethan understand about her problems.
In conclusion, the quote by Carl Jung logically supports the claim that both Ethan and Zeena are lonely. After all, the word “loneliness” is used to describe someone who is unable to communicate their problems, not from being alone. Not only was Ethan and Zeena are in the presence of one another, they could not communicate their problems to each other because the absence of a meaningful relationship between the two characters.
of loneliness to add personality into Ethan and Zeena Frome. Jung's quote logically supports the claim that both Ethan and Zeena suffer from loneliness because the absence of a meaningful relationship does not allow them to disclose to each other about their concerns and problems.
In Wharton’s Ethan Frome, Jung’s quote captures Ethan’s absence of a meaningful relationship with his wife.
With flashbacks, Ethan recalls the time when he married his wife Zeena. The narrator says, “When they married it was agreed that, as soon as he could straighten out the difficulties resulting from Mrs. Frome’s long illness, they would sell the farm and saw-mill and try their luck in a large town… where there are lectures and big libraries and ‘fellows doing things’” (Wharton 38). Ethan has decided that while being away from Starkfield, he would become an engineer, a profession he has always wanted to be. This, along with his desire to see the world, adds to his desire to leave his hometown. The problem is that after waiting for the farm to be sold, Zeena develops hypochondria, an obsession of having a serious medical condition. This, in turns, makes Ethan’s wish to move to a larger town and become an engineer impractical. When Jung says that “Loneliness does not come from having no people around you, but from being unable to communicate the things that seem important to you,” he is suggesting that loneliness is caused by an unhealthy relationship, one without any romantic attachment. This lack of emotional bond between the couple captures Ethan’s loneliness. For example, Ethan does not take the initiative to confront his wife about his ambitions in life, something that he holds great importance to. If Ethan is not lonely, he would have no trouble explaining to Zeena about what seems important to him. However, the fact that Ethan does not have someone who understands his desire to meet new people and start life anew fulfills the requirement as to what it means to be
lonely.
Moreover, Jung’s quote also captures Zeena’s loneliness. A while after developing her sickness, Zeena falls silent. The narrator says, “Perhaps it was the the inevitable effect of life on the farm, or perhaps, as she sometimes said, it was because Ethan ‘never listened.’” (Wharton 39). But after reading the rest of the novel, the narrator may start to suspect that Zeena feels the way she does for the same reason as Ethan; Zeena has no one who understands her. Given this information, Zeena’s hypochondria may have originated from her husband’s lack of attention given to her. The fact that her sickness deepens when her husband shows interest in Mattie, her cousin, further strengthens the claim that she wants to be understood. While she does take the initiative to confront her husband about her concerns, it all comes down to her relationship with her husband. His unwillingness to listen to issues, such as sending Mattie away, is probably the main reason behind her hypochondria. For example, at the beginning of the novel, Zeena mentions about hiring a girl to replace Mattie. She says, “Well, I’d like to talk to you about it” (Wharton 19). However, all Ethan says is “All right. But I haven’t got the time now” (Wharton 19). Since Zeena cannot successfully talk to her husband about her concerns without being rejected, this circumstance fits into Jung’s definition as to what it means to be lonely. After all, she is literally unable to communicate the things that seems important to her. Here in this quote. Ethan’s insincere pretense at being concerned about Zeena’s illness further shows Zeena’s incapability to let Ethan understand about her problems.
In conclusion, the quote by Carl Jung logically supports the claim that both Ethan and Zeena are lonely. After all, the word “loneliness” is used to describe someone who is unable to communicate their problems, not from being alone. Not only was Ethan and Zeena are in the presence of one another, they could not communicate their problems to each other because the absence of a meaningful relationship between the two characters.