Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton is the
tragic story of Ethan Frome of Starkfield, Massachusetts. The Fromes have always been
poor, and once Ethan's parents died things got even worse. Harmon Gow's statement that
Ethan would be happy to earn an extra dollar is true. He needs the money and he has no
pride left. In the narrator's "vision" of Ethan's life, though, there is only one thing
Ethan cares enough about to swallow his pride--Mattie Silver. He helps her do chores
around the house and even scrubs the floor at night when the household is asleep. He
endures Zeena's sly innuendos and caustic remarks because he cares for
Mattie.
Ethan only mentions getting money for the load of
lumber because he wants to get out of taking Zeena to the train and potentially
spendmore time with Mattie. He does ask, but he does so rather half-heartedly and does
not press the issue. Ethan
did not want Andrew Hale, or any one else in
Starkfield, to think he was going under
again.
The irony, of course,
is that he is in a great position at this moment in time, compared to how bad things
will be for him more than twenty years later. Things are not good for a young Ethan, but
they will get much worse before it is all said and done and he will have no pride left
by then.
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