Symbolism of Ethan Frome

The critical analysis essay that I read talked about the extreme amount of symbolism in the novel, Ethan Frome.  The author, Edith Wharton, included extensive meaning behind all of the symbolism in this novel. This criticism explains with great depth about each symbol. The writer of this essay, Carol J. Singley, wrote her response to the novel in 1997.  Some of the symbols she found relevant to talk about included the following:

• ·         Landscape
• ·         Seasons
• ·         Climate
• ·         The “L” part of Ethan’s home
• ·         The cat
• ·         The pickle-dish

These parts and pieces included in Ethan Frome have tons of meaning behind them.  This meaning allows us to call them important symbols. The Landscape, season, and climate of Starkfield all go together to describe a miserable and snowy setting.  These features of the setting can help describe Ethan’s emotions throughout the novel.  “Harmon Gow does not say that Ethan has been in Starkfield too long but too many winters.”(Singley)  this quote is directly from the essay and is important because it helps show how the winter has a negative effect on Ethan Frome.  Another important point behind the symbolism is that all images of warmth and fair whether come from memories in the past.  Ethan is stuck in the cold and is unable to go back. The “L” part of Ethan’s home represents the heart of the home. The fact that his “L” has been taken down serves the purpose that there is no more heart left in the home.  There is a very large and important connection with the cat to Zeena. When the cat destroys the pickle dish, we can infer that Zeena destroyed the meaning behind the dish.  Ethan’s marriage to Zeena is the meaning behind the dish.  The breaking of the Marriage can be blamed on both Zeena and Mattie since Mattie got the dish down and the cat knocked it off the table. These very few symbols were the more significant ones that stood out from the novel and from the critical essay.