Ethan Frome

<p>Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton is a tragic novella set in the bleak wintry town of Starkfield Massachusetts. It tells the story of Ethan Frome a poor farmer trapped in a loveless marriage with his sickly and bitter wife Zeena. When Zeena's lively cousin Mattie comes to live with them Ethan falls deeply in love with her.</p><p>Unable to escape their circumstances Ethan and Mattie attempt a desperate sledding suicide to be together but the plan fails. They survive permanently injured and forced to live under Zeena's care bound in misery.</p><p>The novella explores themes of isolation duty versus desire and the crushing effects of environment and circumstance on human lives.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p>