Ethan Frome is filled with foreshadowing. Although Wharton never explicitly states that Ethan and Mattie will be involved in a sledding accident, numerous passages in the novel hint at what is to occur.
Wharton's use of a frame story, which takes place more than 20 years after the accident, creates a lingering sense of foreboding and dramatic irony. The reader knows that Ethan will be involved in a "smash-up" and become permanently disabled, but they don't know when or how. Ethan, by contrast, is totally oblivious of the fate that will eventually befall him.
In addition, at several points throughout the novel, the reader's attention is drawn to the large elm at the bottom of the sledding hill. In Chapter 2, Mattie tells Ethan that Ned Hale and Ruth Varnum narrowly avoided running into the elm, an accident that could have killed them:
Her shiver ran down his arm. "Wouldn't it have been so awful? They're so happy."
Ethan assures Mattie that were the two of them to go sledding, they would encounter no such problem, since Ethan is a more capable driver than Ned. Mattie remains skeptical, but Ethan wins her over:
"That elm is dangerous, though. It ought to be cut down," she insisted.
"Would you be afraid of it, with me?"
"I told you I ain't the kind to be afraid," she tossed back
In Ethan Frome, the relationship between Ned and Ruth is frequently used as a foil for Ethan and Mattie's relationship. While both couples are similarly young and in love, Ned and Ruth are free to marry, and their relationship is socially acceptable. Ethan and Mattie, meanwhile, must hide their desire for one another because Ethan is already married to Zeena. Since it has been established that Ned and Ruth are similar to but overall more fortunate than Ethan and Mattie, the fact that they were able to escape unscathed implies that Ethan and Mattie may not be so lucky. Ethan's overconfidence in his steering abilities, which he boasts about in order to impress Mattie, also signals to the reader that his skills will ultimately fail him.
Ethan and Mattie discuss the elm again in Chapter 5, and Ethan feels confident in his ability to protect Mattie:
"Would you be scared to go down the Corbury road with me on a night like this?" he asked.
Her cheeks burned redder. "I ain't any more scared than you are!"
"Well, I'd be scared, then; I wouldn't do it. That's an ugly corner down by the elm. If a fellow didn't keep his eyes open he'd go plumb into it." He luxuriated in the sense of protection and authority which his words conveyed.
While the earlier mention of the elm and its danger could be dismissed as a mere coincidence, the fact that Wharton continues to draw attention signals to the reader that the sledding hill will become important later on in the narrative. Since the reader knows that Ethan's future disability is the result of a "smash-up," they can likely deduce that he will be injured in a sledding accident.
The conclusion of Ethan Frome is deeply ironic for a number of reasons, and this irony amplifies the novel's tragedy.
At multiple points throughout the novel, Ethan wishes for Mattie to remain at the farm forever. In Chapter 2, he even fantasizes about the two of them dying and being buried next to each other in the family graveyard:
"I guess we'll never let you go, Matt," he whispered, as though even the dead, lovers once, must conspire with him to keep her; and brushing by the graves, he thought: "We'll always go on living here together, and some day she'll lie there beside me."
By the end of the novel, Ethan has gotten what he wanted. Mattie will live at the farm for the rest of her life, and she will be buried in the family plot. But this situation brings Ethan no happiness—Mattie is permanently crippled as a result of the accident, and she and Ethan are never able to live together as man and wife. When Mattie and Ethan die, it will not come at the end of a long and happy life, since their current situation now resembles a kind of living death.
This conclusion is also ironic because Ethan initially falls in love with Mattie because she is so different from Zeena. After the accident, however, the women have become nearly identical in terms of appearance and personality. In his attempt to escape his marriage to Zeena, Ethan has actually made his situation worse than it was before.
Ethan Frome is filled with foreshadowing. Although Wharton never explicitly states that Ethan and Mattie will be involved in a sledding accident, numerous passages in the novel hint at what is to occur.
Wharton's use of a frame story, which takes place more than 20 years after the accident, creates a lingering sense of foreboding and dramatic irony. The reader knows that Ethan will be involved in a "smash-up" and become permanently disabled, but they don't know when or how. Ethan, by contrast, is totally oblivious of the fate that will eventually befall him.
In addition, at several points throughout the novel, the reader's attention is drawn to the large elm at the bottom of the sledding hill. In Chapter 2, Mattie tells Ethan that Ned Hale and Ruth Varnum narrowly avoided running into the elm, an accident that could have killed them:
Her shiver ran down his arm. "Wouldn't it have been so awful? They're so happy."
Ethan assures Mattie that were the two of them to go sledding, they would encounter no such problem, since Ethan is a more capable driver than Ned. Mattie remains skeptical, but Ethan wins her over:
"That elm is dangerous, though. It ought to be cut down," she insisted.
"Would you be afraid of it, with me?"
"I told you I ain't the kind to be afraid," she tossed back
In Ethan Frome, the relationship between Ned and Ruth is frequently used as a foil for Ethan and Mattie's relationship. While both couples are similarly young and in love, Ned and Ruth are free to marry, and their relationship is socially acceptable. Ethan and Mattie, meanwhile, must hide their desire for one another because Ethan is already married to Zeena. Since it has been established that Ned and Ruth are similar to but overall more fortunate than Ethan and Mattie, the fact that they were able to escape unscathed implies that Ethan and Mattie may not be so lucky. Ethan's overconfidence in his steering abilities, which he boasts about in order to impress Mattie, also signals to the reader that his skills will ultimately fail him.
Ethan and Mattie discuss the elm again in Chapter 5, and Ethan feels confident in his ability to protect Mattie:
"Would you be scared to go down the Corbury road with me on a night like this?" he asked.
Her cheeks burned redder. "I ain't any more scared than you are!"
"Well, I'd be scared, then; I wouldn't do it. That's an ugly corner down by the elm. If a fellow didn't keep his eyes open he'd go plumb into it." He luxuriated in the sense of protection and authority which his words conveyed.
While the earlier mention of the elm and its danger could be dismissed as a mere coincidence, the fact that Wharton continues to draw attention signals to the reader that the sledding hill will become important later on in the narrative. Since the reader knows that Ethan's future disability is the result of a "smash-up," they can likely deduce that he will be injured in a sledding accident.
