Ethan Frome
Edith Wharton (1862–1937) was a groundbreaking American author, renowned for her astute observations of the social elite and her critical examination of American society’s moral codes. Born into a prominent family in New York City, Wharton became a pivotal figure in early 20th-century literature, exploring themes of class, gender, and the constraints of societal expectations in her meticulously crafted narratives.
Her most acclaimed works, including “The Age of Innocence,” “The House of Mirth,” and “Ethan Frome,” highlight her deep understanding of human psychology and intricate character development. Wharton’s prose is marked by elegance and precision, reflecting her keen insights into the complexities of human relationships and the often rigid conventions of her time.
Ethan Frome is a masterful feat of story telling its one of those short novels that somehow packed an impossible amount of wonder and pain and suffering and insight into the workings of human beings of life in such short amount of pages
After reading the prologue of the book and the first chapter something that came to mind was Stoner by John Williams maybe its because I read that book recently but the melancholic atmosphere and complex emotions coupled with the lives of the three main characters in the story gave me the feel.
The story revolving around Ethan Frome and his grim wife Zeena and Mattie Silver her charming cousin, Wharton lets us explore the psychological dead-lock, frustration, longing, resentment and passion that goes all in this cold and chilly novel. With every chapter unraveling and exploring the workings of each and every character. Not spending any time discussing the minutia details but masterfully painting the landscape where in everyone lives revolves and it shows how life in new England could easily kill you. (the cold and economic struggle I mean, might make you say Zeena is sane would have turnout more insane than Jack Torrance)
One of the interesting thing about this novella was the show of intimacy and how everything was laid out to follow through the story while showing how self-destructive acts can lead to more pain and never salvation of the individual instead of the romanticization of obsession and destruction.
Reading this showed me that Age of Innocence is up for a re-read because I have truly forgotten how Edith Wharton is good at writing and exploring different themes without a waste of words. This was a beautiful and melancholic read, packing a lot of weight in such a short number of pages.