Ethan Frome Flashcards
What happened to Ethan at the beginning of the book
he was in a smash up
What is the narrator doing at the beginning of the book
investigating what happened to Ethan
What did Ethan commit
adultery
How did Ethan commit adultery
was married to Zeena but he likes Mattie
Where does Ethan go everyday
post office
What does Ethan get at the post office everyday
magazine
why does Ethan go to the post office everyday
to get out of the house
What happened to Ethan in the smash up
scarred, messed up shoulder, nothing mental like Mattie
Was Mattie a good housekeeper
no; didn’t get the proper training
What does Mattie represent to Ethan
a new hope
Characteristics of Zeena
Bitter, sick, judgmental, cold, sarcastic, grumpy, stolid, lonely, depressed, observant, smart
Is Zeena envious of Mattie? if so why
yes, Ethan has more of an interest in her then Zeena
Does Zeena know whats going on
yes she does
Why is Zeena lonely
Ethan spends his time at the farm, doesn’t talk to her, shows more interest in Mattie
Is Zeena afraid of losing Ethan? is so why
Yes, she would be alone and sickly like she already is
How is Ethan and Zeenas marriage
falling apart, no love or compassion
Why did they get married in the first place
Ethans mom was sick, Zeena came and helped out, Ethan would have been lonely so he asked her to marry him
What did the pickle dish symbolize
their marriage; it broke like their marriage was
who broke the wedding dish
Mattie; she brought it down from the shelf and the cat knocked it down from the table
what does Ethan do to the cloth Mattie is making when they are alone
he kisses it
Signs that mattie may be interested
makes fancy dinner, uses the pickle dish, bow in her hair, acts nervous
why i Zeena mean to ethan
marriage is a two way street; if he’s mean then she’ll act the same way
How is mattie and zeena relationship
not good, zeena is always rude to her, calls her things
how does ethan and zeenas marriage reflect the authors marriage in real life
she had an affair, like Ethan and mattie no love or compassion, like ethan and zeena
Author of the book
Edith Wharton
What color is the wedding dish
red
What red things does mattie wear
red ribon, red scarf
when does she wear the red ribbon
first night they are alone
when does she wear the red scarf
the night of the dance and when they went sledding
What does the color red symbolize
passion blood heart anger sin; evil love
What does the cat represent
Zeena
what does the cat do when Zeena isn’t home
goes in her chair, gets in the way of ethan and mattie
does the cat know what its doing
no doesn’t know the severity of things
where does the story take place
starkfield mass
What can ethan never fulfill
his desirees
what are ethane desires
leave stark field, go to school
What stopped ethan from going to school
the death of his father then the sickness of his mother
who is the protagonist in the story
ethan
what is ethane obligation
to stay and help zeena with her sickess
Was zeena sick while helping ethans mother
a little but not a lot
what happens to zeena once ethans mom dies
she becomes sicker
wa zeena really sick or was it more of a thought to her; hypochondriac
personal opinin
hypochondriac realtesd to zeena
thinks that she is sicker then she really is
does zeena use her sickness to get ethan to stay with her
personal opinion
what did marriage give ethan
more obligations, social constraints, moral issues
what happens to ethans desires as time goes on
they become crushed
who is more innocent, ethan or mattie
mattie
what was zeena at age 27
a spinster
spinster
doesn’t get married
what age did women during that time usually get married
around age 20
why did zeena marry ethan
he was her last resort at age 27
are mattie and zeena alike or diffferent
different; opposites of each other
what might the author trying to portray in this novel
that what she did when she cheated was ok. gives us an inside look and tries to make us take her side
where does zeena go
bettsbridge
why does zeena go to bettsbridge
to see a doctor
what did zeena do when she got home from the doctor
goes straight to her room
what do ethan and zeena talk about when she gets home from the doctor
that mattie needs to leave
why does zeena want mattie to leave
she hired another girl and she’s sick of housing her when she doesn’t even like her
why does ethan get mad at zeena for saying to get rid of mattie
because he secretly likes her and doesn’t want her to leave
why does ethan get mad at zeena for saying to get rid of mattie
because he secretly likes her and doesn’t want her to leave
does ethan friend the broken dish
yes, confronts ethan and mattie
does ethan friend the broken dish
yes, confronts ethan and mattie
does ethan ever fix the dish
does some of it but doesn’t get to finish it all before zeena finds it
does ethan ever fix the dish
does some of it but doesn’t get to finish it all before zeena finds it
Who does ethan blame the broken dish on
the cat
Who does ethan blame the broken dish on
the cat
what happened after ethan said the cat did it
mattie speaks up and says she did it
what happened after ethan said the cat did it
mattie speaks up and says she did it
Who tells mattie that she has to leave
ethan
Who tells mattie that she has to leave
ethan
Who takes mattie? who is supposed to?
ethan, jotham powell
Who takes mattie? who is supposed to?
ethan, jotham powell
what path do ethan and mattie take
take the long way
what path do ethan and mattie take
take the long way
what are the injuries sustained from the sledding accident
mattie is paralyzed, ethan has a shoulder injury and other small things but nothing to major
what do mattie and ethan tell each other on the ride
their feelings for each other
what does mattie tell ethan that she found
the note he was going to write to zeena saying she is leaving
what does mattie tell ethan that she found
the note he was going to write to zeena saying she is leaving
As it gets dark what do ethan and mattie do
go sledding
how many times do they go down the hill
twice
why do they go down the hill the second time
mattie says they should kill themselves so they go down the hill
what do they expect to kill them
the big elm tree
different types of conflicts
person vs person person vs nature person vs self person vs unknown person vs technology person vs society
why does ethan swerve before hitting the tree
he picture zeenas face
what are the injuries sustained from the sledding accident
mattie is paralyzed, ethan has a shoulder injury and other small things but nothing to major
what does zeena most likely think about their injuries
that they deserved them
what ends up happening after the sledding accident
Zena has to take care of both Mattie and ethan along with herself
What did the sled symbolize
he had no control over his life
did zeena drive than into mattes arms
personal opinnion, she was mean to him but she was treating him how he was treating her
Did ethan stalk mattie
yes, picnic, walking her home form the dance
did mattie entice ethan
yes lead him on but it could’ve just been her personality
conflict
clash between opposing forces
different types of conflicts
person vs person person vs nature person vs self person vs unknown person vs technology person vs society
theme
underlying message, main idea of a literary work
how long is the the theme as it is being stated
can be stated in one sentence
motif
reocurring structures, contrasts, iterary devices, helps a major theme
what does the motif help
a major theme
Ethan from motif
people taking care of each other in the book
mattie conflicts
person vs person person vs society person vs self
Zeena conflicts
person vs perosn Person vs nature person vs self person vs society
ethans conflicts
person vs person person vs nature person vs society person vs self
society as an obstacle to the fulfillment of desire
shouldn’t cheat on wife, right versus wrong Theme
Morality as an obstacle to the fulfillment of desire
Adultery; right versu wrong theme
winter as a stifling force
winter retracts your lifestyle, coldness of characters, sledding is in the winter; suicide theme
Snow and cold
ethan and mattie hangout out outside, bad weather in the beginning of the book and the end, gives us the inner story cause the narrator had to stop at ethans house due to the weather
disability and illness
zeena came to take care of ethans mom and got sicker because of it, mattie came to to care for zeena and became paralyzed
how sick was zeena really
personal opinion
Which character is the most right and the most wrong
personal opinion
is there a comparison between antigone and ethan frome
personal opinion
who is the antagonist
personal opinion; mattie, zeena, or ethan himself
