Aayushree Pradhan Essays (909 words) - English-language Films

Aayushree Pradhan 03/10/2017 Conflict between morals and passion in Ethan Frome Everybody in this world is born with certain moral ethics instilled in them. They're taught what is wrong and what is right by their family as well as the society. But there is something else inside people that morals cannot suppress no matter what: passions and desires. Just as one's moral duties are predetermined from birth, it is human nature to want to follow our desires and live a happy life. In Ethan Frome, by Edith Wharton, Ethan is presented with two options, taking care of his "sickly" wife Zeena and the farm like a good husband, or following his desires by running away and marrying Mattie like a good lover. The book describes the conflict Ethan faces while having to choose between his responsibilities and his passions. Ethan ultimately, like all of his ancestors, decides to sit back and take care of Zeena despite having various opportunities to take bolder steps towards his blooming relationship with Mattie , which in the end, makes things harder for him. Starkfield is a very cold and barren place. Everything is dull and grey - the weather, the land, the people, and Ethan himself. Here, Ethan lives his life as a poor farmer with a sickly wife. There is no other bond or any kind of passion between them besides their marriage. In fact, Ethan only married Zeena because he was lonely after his mother's death. But the marriage just added more bleakness to his life. Ethan, before his parents death, used to be an avid learner attending a college and studying technology and even immersing in a little bit of Physics studies. After his father died, he was forced to give that up in order to take care of his sick mother. After his mother died and Zeena became his wife, he was stuck in an endless loop of working fruitlessly in the gloomy landscape of Starkfield all day and coming back home to listen to Zeena's bickering. Zeena has a legal and moral right to Ethan's "love" and attention. In the book, Zeena is portrayed as some kind of a mor al monster - both physically and spiritually. She is malicious and gets what she wants by making Ethan and the community feel pity for her. As she is described by Ethan in Chapter 3, "She sat opposite the window, and the pale light reflected from the banks of snow made her face look more than usually drawn and bloodless, sharpened the three parallel creases between ear and cheek,, and drew querulous lines from her thin nose to the corners of her mouth." , no amount of light or warmth seems to break through Zeena's icy demeanor. Ethan goes on to reveal that Zeena "was but seven years her husband's senior, and was only twenty-eight, she was already an old woman." Ethan's premature marriage with a woman like Zeena takes a huge toll on his quest for passion and Mattie. On the other hand, Mattie brings not only joy and light to Ethan's life but also a sense of companionship. Mattie listens to Ethan and Ethan listens to Mattie. This happiness and passion is often signified by the color red. Mattie is first introduced wearing a red fascinator in a social gathering and seeing her makes Ethan's heart beat fast. She is described as having rosy red lips and cheeks. The red ribbon she wears and the red pickle dish also represent the passion between Ethan and Mattie. Ethan hangs onto every little movement of Mattie's because she is the only lively thing in his glum life. Ethan also admires Mattie because unlike Ethan, her father managed to escape Massachusetts - although he did not do well later on. Mattie makes the cold farmhouse feel homely and warm. She puts extra effort to set up the dinner table in Chapter 4. In Chapter 4, Ethan and Mattie spend time together in "domestic bliss". Mattie is also naive and innocent compared to the cunning Zeena. Ethan's passivity and concern for his morals causes him to not take any active steps neither in breaking off his current marriage nor setting up a life with