This is important, because it helps you to be able to recognize and be familiar with emotions that main personas are feeling. As the usage of these two elements are: illustrating the challenges that are being confronted and the feeling of aggravation in not addressing these people. At which point, these kinds of disappointments will certainly affect the romance that the different characters (throughout the novel) will have toward one another. (Wharton, 2009)
What are the forces that contribute to Ethan Frome’s tragic fortune? Is Edith Wharton trying to suggest that he’s a man that is extremely ill-fated, and is therefore destined to failure and hardship? Or perhaps is she looking to make the naturalistic case that his fate is determined by heredity and environment? Or can be his destiny a combination of the two factors?
The forces that contribute to Ethan Frome’s fortune are: the inability to express his emotions to Mattie, the worry that he had of Zeena and the failure to prevent what was happening. These kinds of different factors are important, mainly because they come collectively to create the tragic time for events that would occur towards the end of the story. As Zeena decides to send Mattie apart, this is away of jealousy about her becoming to shut with Ethan. This would trigger Ethan for being more conflicted, with him not wanting to find Mattie go and he had these pent up feelings regarding her. After which, he would express his thoughts to her when it is too late. This will lead to all of them crashing the sled into a tree and Mattie becoming paralyzed. Once this happened, it meant that Zeena and Ethan might continue to take care of Mattie in the years in advance. (Wharton, 2009)
On the surface area, it appears as if Wharton is trying to say that Ethan was extremely ill-fated and was destined into a life of hardships. Yet, when you examine this issue a little further, Ethan was a victim of his own feeling of indifference. Where, he was reluctant to express his emotions to Mattie, for out of fearing of the issues that this could cause of him. Concurrently, he planned to desperately be around Mattie and go on with his life. From this aspect, Frome could have conveniently made the selection to change his life whenever you want. The problem was that he was reactive to the occasions and conditions around him (which created the sense of helplessness / indifference). This may make the events in the novel appear to underscore bad luck and hardship (when Frome got control of them all along). As well, it would spotlight how the environment would make Ethan indifferent with what was happening. As he was taught to never express his emotions or thoughts over time. When you set these different elements collectively, this is featuring how the events that would take place were a combination of both factors. While as well underscoring, the way the lack of coping with these situations, would make the problem worse. As a result, one could believe the issues in Frome’s lifestyle were a combination of a number of incidents working together together. (Wharton, 2009)