Check nearby libraries
Buy this book
![Loading indicator](/images/ajax-loader-bar.gif)
Edith Wharton wrote Ethan Frome as a frame story — meaning that the prologue and epilogue constitute a "frame" around the main story
How It All Goes Down
It's winter. A nameless engineer is in Starkfield, Massachusetts on business and he first sees Ethan Frome at the post office. Ethan is a man in his early fifties who is obviously strong, and obviously crippled. The man becomes fascinated with Ethan and wants to know his story. When Ethan begins giving him occasional rides to the train station, the two men strike up a friendship. One night when the weather is particularly bad, Ethan invites the man to stay at his house. In the hall the man hears a woman talking angrily, on and on. When Ethan speaks, the voice stops. The man tells us that he learned something that night which allowed him to imagine Ethan's story. Now we go back in time 24 years and learn about Ethan's life.
Ethan has walked from his farm and sawmill into town to pick up Mattie Silver from the church dance. He peeks in the windows of the church basement and sees Mattie dancing with Denis Eady and is jealous. Mattie is Ethan's wife's cousin. Her parents both died just over a year ago, and she was left with nothing. Her father had apparently swindled some of the relatives out of their savings, so nobody wanted to help Mattie. Zeena, Ethan's wife, is always sick, and decided to let Mattie live with them in exchange for doing the housework and helping the ailing Zeena.
Ethan liked Mattie from the beginning and worried that Zeena was too hard on her. The two women soon adjusted to each other (sort of) and things weren't as bad as they could have been. Meanwhile, Ethan has fallen in love with Mattie and wants to spend all his time with her.
Mattie soon comes out of the dance, and Ethan watches while Denis Eady tries to give her a ride home. She brushes him off and then Ethan reveals his presence. Ethan and Mattie are happy to see each other. They discuss possibly doing some sledding in the future. Neither is afraid to sled down the hill – at the bottom of which lies the deadly elm tree. The walk home is altogether lovely and romantic, but when they arrive, the house key isn't under the mat like it usually is.
Soon, Zeena, looking ill and scary, comes downstairs and lets them in. She's usually in bed by this hour but she couldn't sleep. She is obviously suspicious of their behavior. The next day she announces that she will be gone overnight visiting a new doctor. Mattie and Ethan make good use of her absence and enjoy a romantic dinner for two. Unfortunately, the cat breaks Zeena's favorite dish and Ethan isn't able to locate any glue until after Zeena gets back. The first thing Zeena does when she gets home is to tell Ethan that she's kicking out Mattie. He protests, but fighting is useless. Then Zeena finds the broken pickle dish and is super upset (it had been a wedding gift).
Ethan decides he'll run away with Mattie, but then a combination of lack of cash and guilt stop him. Still, he insists on driving Mattie to the train station. He takes her on the long route, so they can look at different places they enjoyed together. By the time they get to the town sledding hill, it's already dark. As they are contemplating sledding, and pondering the hopelessness of their situation, Mattie suggests that they sled into the elm tree and kill themselves. Ethan agrees and they smash into the tree. But they survive.
Then the story goes back to the present and we find the engineer right where we left him, about to enter the Frome kitchen. When he does enter he learns that the woman who was talking on and on in an argumentative tone is…Mattie! She has spinal disease and can't move without assistance. Zeena is there too, cooking. They all three live together, an unhappy family in the Frome house.
Also contained in:
-
Age of Innocence / The House of Mirth / Ethan Frome
-
Edith Wharton Reader
-
Ethan Frome and Other Stories
-
Ethan Frome and Related Readings
-
Ethan Frome and Selected Stories
-
Edith Wharton Omnibus
-
Ethan Frome with Connections
-
The Hermit and the Wild Woman and other stories / Ethan Frome
-
Novellas and Other Writings
-
Three Classics by American Women
-
Three Novels
- Works of Edith Wharton
Check nearby libraries
Buy this book
![Loading indicator](/images/ajax-loader-bar.gif)
Previews available in: English French
Subjects
Accident victims, American fiction (fictional works by one author), American literature, Children's fiction, Classic Literature, domestic fiction, English fiction, Family life, Farm life, Fiction, Guardian and ward, Interpersonal relations, Love, Man-woman relationships, Manners and customs, Marriage, Married people, poor, Poverty, Readers, Romance, Rural poor, Social life and customs, Study and teaching (Secondary), Triangles (Interpersonal relations), Young women, Married people, fiction, Massachusetts, fiction, Man-woman relationships, fiction, Wharton, edith, 1862-1937, Young women, fiction, Fiction, romance, general, Unrequited love, New england, fiction, English language, textbooks for foreign speakers, Single women, fiction, Fiction, historical, general, Fiction, general, Triangle (Relations humaines), Romans, nouvelles, Victimes d'accidents, Couples mariés, Pauvres en milieu rural, Vie à la ferme, Large type books, Exhibitions, Chinese language, Writing, Seal style, Paste papers, Specimens, Triangles (Interpersonal relations) -- Fiction, Accident victims -- Fiction, Married people -- Fiction, Rural poor -- Fiction, Farm life -- Fiction, Massachusetts -- Fiction, Massachusetts, England, fictionPeople
Ethan Frome, Zenobia Frome, MattiePlaces
New England, Berkshire Hills, Massachusetts, StarkfieldTimes
19th centuryShowing 16 featured editions. View all 1000 editions?
Edition | Availability |
---|---|
01 |
zzzz
|
02
Ethan Frome
2018-07-11, CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
Paperback
in English
1512393797 9781512393798
|
cccc
Libraries near you:
WorldCat
|
03 |
bbbb
|
04 |
cccc
Libraries near you:
WorldCat
|
05
Ethan Frome
2015, Collins Classics
Paperback
in English
- William Collins Paperback Edition (1)
0008110549 9780008110543
|
cccc
Libraries near you:
WorldCat
|
06 |
cccc
Libraries near you:
WorldCat
|
07 |
bbbb
|
08 |
bbbb
Libraries near you:
WorldCat
|
09 |
cccc
Libraries near you:
WorldCat
|
10 |
cccc
Libraries near you:
WorldCat
|
11 |
bbbb
Libraries near you:
WorldCat
|
12 |
cccc
Libraries near you:
WorldCat
|
13 |
bbbb
|
14
Ethan Frome
1997, Turtleback (Scribner Paperback Fiction)
Library Binding
in English
- 1st Scribner Paperback Fiction edition (3)
0606006133 9780606006132
|
cccc
Libraries near you:
WorldCat
|
15 |
cccc
Libraries near you:
WorldCat
|
16 |
aaaa
Libraries near you:
WorldCat
|
Book Details
Classifications
ID Numbers
Links outside Open Library
Community Reviews (0)
Feedback?History
- Created August 27, 2020
- 3 revisions
Wikipedia citation
×CloseCopy and paste this code into your Wikipedia page. Need help?
March 20, 2021 | Edited by lisaBot | moving edition(s) to primary work |
November 21, 2020 | Edited by Lisa | merge authors |
August 27, 2020 | Created by ImportBot | Imported from Better World Books record |