SGiannangeli - Analysis of chapter 4 from the novel "Ethan Frome"

In the present text I am going to analyse an extract from chapter 4 of the novel “Ethan Frome”. In the extract the novelist describes, through Ethan’s point of view, the transformation of his wife during years and the possible reasons why of her silence and estrangement.

The narrator begins telling about Zeena’s illness, which has shown up one year after the marriage. In order to make the reader understand the relevance of her illness, the narrator claims that Zenobia became famous in the small town for her health condition, even if there were many other people there who suffered from different diseases. To the character and the reader, it seems almost paradoxical that Zeena was able to take care of an ill person (like Ethan’s mother) and just some time after she falls ill too. This is why the protagonists deduces she got the nursery knowledge by analysing her own symptoms.

After that, the narrator moves his attention on the communication between the couple. Ethan realizes that his wife has become silent just like his mother. The narrator creates a parallelism between Ethan’s mother’s condition and Zeena’s one, in order to underline the sad existence Ethan is destined for: he has to take care of ill people all his life, and this is one of the obstacles to his fulfilment as a man. Then the narrator analyses the reasons for Zeena’s silence: the environment (especially the life at the farm) and Ethan’s lack of interest in what she says. Ethan is aware of this, he willingly does not answer to her because of her constantly complaining. The description of Zeena’s attitude is influenced by Ethan’s point of view, who sees her as a highly hypochondriac and selfish woman. He also defines her as “queer” and claims to be aware of women becoming like that. This is an example of how Ethan is influenced by the mentality of that time, when women where still considered as weak and inferior than men.

The phrase “At times, looking at Zeena's shut face, he felt the chill of such forebodings” is explicative of Ethan’s extremely negative vision of his wife. She represents sadness, oppression, suffering and anger to him.

However, Zeena’s silence makes Ethan wonder about her possible suspiciousness about his feelings for the young Mattie: he fears this event because he is afraid of losing Mattie.

In the chapter, the narrator also tells about the first time Zeena leaves the farm for some time and Ethan can finally be alone with Mattie. The writer describes his completely different mood: he feels extremely relieved and in a good mood, he feels “eased” and can’t wait to spend some time with the girl he loves.

The paragraph gives the reader an accurate and detailed vision of Zeena’s character from Ethan’s point of view, but the reader does not know for sure what Zenobia’s real feelings and thoughts are. On the contrary, Ethan’s feeling about his wife and the young Mattie are perfectly conveyed and the reader is able to identify with the character.