Previous
Irony
Definition of Metaphor
A metaphor is a figure of speech that compares two different things by saying that one thing is the other. The comparison in a metaphor can be stated explicitly, as... read full definition
A metaphor is a figure of speech that compares two different things by saying that one thing is the other. The comparison in a metaphor... read full definition
A metaphor is a figure of speech that compares two different things by saying that one thing is the other... read full definition
Prologue
Explanation and Analysis—Living Death:
At multiple points throughout Ethan Frome, Wharton uses the motif of living death to emphasize the gloomy atmosphere of Starkfield and foreshadow the novel's tragic conclusion.
The motif is first introduced during the Prologue, when the Narrator describes Ethan as a "ruin of a man" who "looks as if he was dead and in hell," implying that although Ethan is physically alive, he is metaphorically dead. The motif recurs later in the Prologue, when the Narrator sees the Frome farmhouse and notices the "black wraith of a deciduous creeper" hanging above the porch. The deciduous vine, which sheds its leaves in the winter, represents the barrenness of the Frome farm and is an ideal symbol for living death—although still alive, the plant appears dead, a concept reinforced by the phrase "black wraith.
Related Themes:
Explanation and Analysis—Animals and Nature:
Ethan Frome is a novel defined by its setting, with Wharton devoting numerous passages to descriptions of the physical landscape. She also frequently uses a combination of imagery, metaphor, and simile to draw comparisons between characters and their environment. The motif of animals and nature emphasizes the profound impact that environmental factors can have on human emotion and behavior.
Unlock with LitCharts A+
Related Themes:
Explanation and Analysis—The Siege:
In the Prologue of Ethan Frome, the Narrator uses an extended metaphor to compare winter to an invading army and the town of Starkfield to a fortress under siege:
Unlock with LitCharts A+[W]hen the storms of February had pitched their white tents about the devoted village and the wild cavalry of March winds had charged down to their support; I began to understand why Starkfield emerged from its six months' siege like a starved garrison capitulating without quarter. Twenty years earlier the means of resistance must have been far fewer, and the enemy in command of almost all the lines of access between the beleaguered villages[.]
Related Themes:
Explanation and Analysis—The Farmhouse:
Near the end of the novel’s Prologue, the Narrator of Ethan Frome catches his first glimpse of the Frome farmhouse. The sight distresses and unsettles him, and the eerie atmosphere of the scene is amplified by the fact that the house appears to take on human characteristics:
Unlock with LitCharts A+The black wraith of a deciduous creeper flapped from the porch, and the thin wooden walls, under their worn coat of paint, seemed to shiver in the wind that had risen with the ceasing of the snow.
Related Themes:
Chapter 2
Explanation and Analysis—Living Death:
At multiple points throughout Ethan Frome, Wharton uses the motif of living death to emphasize the gloomy atmosphere of Starkfield and foreshadow the novel's tragic conclusion.
The motif is first introduced during the Prologue, when the Narrator describes Ethan as a "ruin of a man" who "looks as if he was dead and in hell," implying that although Ethan is physically alive, he is metaphorically dead. The motif recurs later in the Prologue, when the Narrator sees the Frome farmhouse and notices the "black wraith of a deciduous creeper" hanging above the porch. The deciduous vine, which sheds its leaves in the winter, represents the barrenness of the Frome farm and is an ideal symbol for living death—although still alive, the plant appears dead, a concept reinforced by the phrase "black wraith.
Unlock with LitCharts A+
Related Themes:
Chapter 6
Explanation and Analysis—Prison:
In Ethan Frome, images of crime, imprisonment, and bondage serve as a motif that reflects the apparent lack of control that Ethan has over his own life.
In Chapter 6, when Zeena unexpectedly returns home early from her visit to the doctor, Wharton uses a simile to compare Ethan and Mattie to criminals:
Unlock with LitCharts A+They stood and stared at each other, pale as culprits.
Related Themes:
Chapter 8
Explanation and Analysis—Prison:
In Ethan Frome, images of crime, imprisonment, and bondage serve as a motif that reflects the apparent lack of control that Ethan has over his own life.
In Chapter 6, when Zeena unexpectedly returns home early from her visit to the doctor, Wharton uses a simile to compare Ethan and Mattie to criminals:
Unlock with LitCharts A+They stood and stared at each other, pale as culprits.
Related Themes:
Chapter 9
Explanation and Analysis—Animals and Nature:
Ethan Frome is a novel defined by its setting, with Wharton devoting numerous passages to descriptions of the physical landscape. She also frequently uses a combination of imagery, metaphor, and simile to draw comparisons between characters and their environment. The motif of animals and nature emphasizes the profound impact that environmental factors can have on human emotion and behavior.
Unlock with LitCharts A+
Related Themes:
Explanation and Analysis—Prison:
In Ethan Frome, images of crime, imprisonment, and bondage serve as a motif that reflects the apparent lack of control that Ethan has over his own life.
In Chapter 6, when Zeena unexpectedly returns home early from her visit to the doctor, Wharton uses a simile to compare Ethan and Mattie to criminals:
Unlock with LitCharts A+They stood and stared at each other, pale as culprits.
Related Themes:
Epilogue
Explanation and Analysis—Living Death:
At multiple points throughout Ethan Frome, Wharton uses the motif of living death to emphasize the gloomy atmosphere of Starkfield and foreshadow the novel's tragic conclusion.
The motif is first introduced during the Prologue, when the Narrator describes Ethan as a "ruin of a man" who "looks as if he was dead and in hell," implying that although Ethan is physically alive, he is metaphorically dead. The motif recurs later in the Prologue, when the Narrator sees the Frome farmhouse and notices the "black wraith of a deciduous creeper" hanging above the porch. The deciduous vine, which sheds its leaves in the winter, represents the barrenness of the Frome farm and is an ideal symbol for living death—although still alive, the plant appears dead, a concept reinforced by the phrase "black wraith.
Unlock with LitCharts A+
Related Themes:
