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Edith Warton’s Ethan Frome is a literary masterpiece that explores the nuances or implications of unfulfilled desires, human suffering, and constraints of societal expectations of the period it is based on. Ethans life was filled with thoughts of what could have been if he hadn’t acted in such a rash way all his life. In his youth, Ethan always had plans, thoughts, and desires of what he wanted to accomplish throughout his life, all of which either failed or were out of his control, as his family needed him. Ethan Frome's childhood is characterized by a sense of stifled potential and unfulfilled aspirations. Growing up in the rural setting of Starkfield, Ethan's early years were marked by the harsh realities of poverty and limited opportunities. He grew up surrounded by the beauty of nature and longed for more than the harshness of the world around him. But his dreams were clouded by the responsibility of taking care of his sick parents and running the family farm. He was trapped in a life without the opportunities he longed for. Even though he was bright and full of promise, his childhood marked the beginning of the story of lost chances that would shape his adult life. Modern day psychologists believe that lost opportunities of one’s past can shape their well-being in the future and their outlook on life (often blaming those around them for the life they live) and day-to-day decision making. Ethan's inability to pursue his dreams, whether due to familial obligations or societal constraints, serves as a
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poignant illustration of how unresolved regrets can shape an individual's emotional and psychological well-being, echoing the findings of modern psychological research on the enduring impact of past regrets. Due to these facts, it is easy to interpret that Ethan resents his youths’ lost opportunities, lives in dismay over his sorrowful, loveless marriage with Zeena, and blames her for his loneliness and depressing life in this novel.
One of the central themes in Ethan Frome is the notion of lost opportunities and the ensuing regret that accompanies them, particularly in Ethans life. Throughout the novel Ethan has never once hidden the fact that he feels his life was nothing but a portfolio of missed opportunities and regret. Psychologically, how does this mindset affect one’s happiness and set them up for failure and more regret in the future? When digging deeper and dissecting the text a prominent thought by Ethan was “what if?” This is evidence of the person he is and how he’s perpetually stuck in his past. More specifically, in the novel it is stated “He had often thought since that it would not have happened if his mother had died in spring instead of winter” (Warton 38). Warton is alluding to how Frome believes that if his mother hadn’t died in the winter, he wouldn’t have felt so lonely and wouldn’t be in this everlasting mess that comes with being married to Zeena. The regret and misery radiating off of this quote is infectious, it almost makes the reader feel bad for him as he places the blame of his own actions on others, one can start to see his perspective. As Ethan dwells on his past, he starts to form resentment towards his own life due to his decisions. According to Tolle (2012), always thinking about the past or worrying about the future stops us from feeling calm and happy inside (Papé and Martinez). Ethan Frome is burdened by duty, and often shows characteristics of self-isolation and uneasiness unless he is placing himself in an unrealistic mindset of a life he doesn’t have, for example his longing for Mattie Silver, cousin to Zeena Frome and how his life would be if he married someone like her instead. Clearly, the contrast between Ethan’s youthful hopes and current reality highlights the bitterness of unfulfilled potential and the burden of unchosen obligations.
Ethan’s experiences dismay and sorrow, which is shown heavily in his physical and mental appearance due to the effects of the decisions that snowballed from past commitments he has made in his life. Even from the very beginning, Ethan Frome’s appearance has always been the main focus in this novel, more importantly the decisions that were made