The Role Of Fate In Edith Wharton's Ethan Frome

Is the glass half empty or half full? For many authors of the realism movement of the early twentieth century, empty was the answer. A prolific author of the time, Edith Wharton was a product of the New York upper class and the first woman to win the Pulitzer Prize. She often delved into controversial subjects – such as adultery – and was consequently shunned from society. At a young age, she was acquainted with Egerton Winthrop, who introduced her to Darwinism, an important factor in her work. In Wharton’s novel, Ethan Frome, one can observe the role of fate in the title character’s life. A young married man, Ethan has hopes and dreams, which are all extinguished by his hypochondriac wife. In The Age of Innocence, Wharton tells the story of