In Edith Wharton's novel, Ethan Frome, Mattie Silver breaks all the rules about how hired people are seen, how they act and how they are treated. ... "All his life was lived in the sight and sound of Mattie Silver, and he could no longer conceive of its being otherwise" (35). ... "Mattie Silver's not a hired girl. ... "Mattie Silver...entered the Frome's household to act as her cousin Zeena's aid it was thought best, as she came without pay, not to let her feel too sharp a contrast between the life she had left and the isolation of a Starkfield farm" (28). ... Many wom...

• Word Count: 852
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

Elizabeth Ammons clearly states the relation between the two as, ""The emphasis on sevens, the physical appearance of Mattie Silver, her persecutions, by which like Zeena, as well as Mattie's roll as housekeeper." ... As seen in Ethan Frome, "Frome was in the habit of walking into starkfield to fetch home with wife's cousin, Mattie Silver." (28) Wharton seems to have related the name Mattie Silver, to that of the fairytale character Snow White. ... The resemblance in physical appearance between Mattie Silver and Snow White is astonishing. ... Mattie Silver takes on the same role u...

• Word Count: 802
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

Zeena's cousin, Mattie Silver, ignited a spark deep inside of Ethan that would change his life forever. Ethan then constantly finds himself working hard to impress the youthful Mattie Silver which starts to cause a unfathomable strife Ethan has enduring the unemotional and diminutive behavior of his wife Zeena. ... When Zeena leaves town to visit the doctor, Mattie tries to seduce Ethan. ... Zeena decides to make Mattie pack up and leave because she becomes aware of the relationship between Ethan and Mattie. ... Zeena ends up having to take care of Mattie instead of vice versa. ...

• Word Count: 1146
• Approx Pages: 5
• Has Bibliography

The cat first appears when Ethan Frome and Mattie Silver, the girl he will end up having an affair with, spend the night together in Zeena's absence. During this night the cat does everything it can to separate Ethan and Mattie and to remind them of Zeena's existence. ... This action by the cat represents Zeena trying to come between Ethan and Mattie's relationship. ... It is during this evening that Ethan imagines Mattie as his wife and how different life would be if he were married to Mattie instead of Zeena He is torn between having a new relationship with a young and health...

• Word Count: 675
• Approx Pages: 3
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

Ethan Frome Essay Compare and Contrast the characters of Mattie and Zeena In the novel Ethan Frome, by Edith Wharton, the characters of Mattie Silver and Zeena Frome are dissimilar in many ways. ... This is a glaringly obvious variance from Mattie's personality. Also, Mattie is much more compassionate than Zeena. An example of Zeena's cold-heartedness is seen when she fires Mattie, her own relative, giving Mattie nowhere to go and no job skills on which to survive. ... Also, Zeena is a pessimist while Mattie always tries to hope for the best. ...

• Word Count: 436
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

Setting is constantly used to describe Mattie. Mattie is, quite often, compared to spring, a symbol of life. Mattie comes to Starkfield in the springtime. ... Mattie is also described with the color red. ... "The early midst had vanished and the fields lay like a silver shield under the sun. ...

• Word Count: 275
• Approx Pages: 1
• Grade Level: High School

Up until Ethan meets a young vibrant girl name Mattie Silver, Ethan is the old man he is destined to become. ... Mattie Silver brings a summer passion in the midst of winter. ... Up until Mattie Silver is introduced to the book and Ethan's heart, the feelings that this book has are very cold and dark. Mattie Silver is seen as the light in Ethan's dark world. ... Lastly, Mattie exemplifies nature. ...

• Word Count: 1743
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: High School

they employ her cousin to help around the house, the beautiful Mattie Silver. ... Ethan and Mattie in turn, fall in love. ... Several years after their marriage, cousin, Mattie Silver is asked to relieve Zeena (unable to continue due to her hypochondria) of her household duties. Ethan finds himself falling in love with Mattie, drawn to her youthful energy, as, "The pure air, and the long summer hours in the open, gave life and elasticity to Mattie". Ethan is attracted to Mattie because she is the opposite of Zeena. ...

• Word Count: 813
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

Zeena, Ethan's wife, has none of these qualities, yet Mattie Silver, Zeena's cousin, has all of them. ... Fire is used as a symbol of the passion and life that Mattie Silver will try to bring into Ethan's life. ... In this scene, Ethan remembers the moments and thoughts him and Mattie share. ... Ethan plans to go coasting with Mattie the next night. ... If Mattie had taken off her hat, then the scene would have symbolized Mattie giving up on her love, and knowing her and Ethan will never find happiness. ...

• Word Count: 934
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

Zeena, Ethan's wife, has none of these qualities, yet Mattie Silver, Zeena's cousin, has all of them. ... Fire is used as a symbol of the passion and life that Mattie Silver will try to bring into Ethan's life. ... In this scene, Ethan remembers the moments and thoughts him and Mattie share. ... Ethan plans to go coasting with Mattie the next night. ... If Mattie had taken off her hat, then the scene would have symbolized Mattie giving up on her love, and knowing her and Ethan will never find happiness. ...

• Word Count: 939
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

Wharton uses this to reflect the warm and light feelings Ethan has for Mattie. ... The conflict does not stem from within Ethan's own heart - his feelings for Mattie never waver. ... Mattie's surname is Silver, which is also a symbol used by the author to suggest how precious she is to Ethan but also used to suggest betrayal. Silver has been connected to betrayal since the story of Judas in the bible who betrayed Jesus for 30 peace's of silver. Until the very end, we cannot even be certain that Mattie returns Ethan's feelings for her. ...

• Word Count: 1560
• Approx Pages: 6

Then, he fell in love with Mattie Silver, his second cousin, and forgot about Zeena, leaving her cooped up in their farmhouse constantly grieving for her husband. ... She was sick and needed someone that could do her fair share of work, and Mattie was not cutting it. ... Finally Zeena becomes fed up with Mattie and tells her how she " took from me the one I cared for most of all-" " and sent Mattie away, but still Ethan did not love her so she sat and pined away in her room on the farm. ... And Mattie feels the effects of country life in general, as she is soft and weak and simple. The over...

• Word Count: 879
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

Mattie is then hired to assist her and is a breath of fresh air which attracts Ethan immediately. ... Mattie silver is the one character in the novel who stands out. ... No one can escape the white winter, not even the bright Mattie. ... After the attempt, Mattie becomes more like Zeena and now Zeena must take care of Mattie and Ethan. Ethan and Mattie can't be pitied enough. ...

• Word Count: 721
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

Mattie Silver was a younger cousin of Zeena's that was orphaned and had no place to go. ... Mattie Silver was seen in this novel largely through the loving and forgiving eyes of Ethan Frome. ... Mattie Silver was the character with the most reason to feel true desperation before the sledding accident occurred. ... All the while, Mattie was in love with Ethan. So, Mattie had a true predicament. ...

• Word Count: 1615
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

While Neeson's appearance was nearly flawless, some definite flaws can be found in Patricia Arquette's character, Mattie Silver. ... She plays up her sickness whenever she doesn't get what she wants, but has a noticeable spring in her step and is feeling better the day that Mattie is supposed to leave. ... The casting (with the exception of Mattie's character) was excellent. ... Mattie was mistaken for Zeena, they both looked so zombie-like and wretched that a person would just have to feel bad for Ethan Frome for having to put up with them. ... The way that both Matti...

• Word Count: 614
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

Zeena's caretaker, Mattie Silver, is a young and vibrant individual. ... Soon thereafter, Ethan becomes obsessed with Mattie. ... Ethan cannot get the words out, nor can Mattie. ... He got his dream though, he and Mattie are together. ... Mattie would have been the one he was looking for. ...

• Word Count: 1086
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

When Mattie Silver came to stay at his house, he realized a spirit that radiated from her. ... Mattie fulfilled all the desired qualities he had for himself. ... Mattie was able to defend herself. ... Another thing Ethan loved was Mattie's talk. ... When Mattie had to leave, he felt abandoned by that "self". ...

• Word Count: 1271
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

The three women are Ethan's mother, Mattie Silver, and Zeena. ... ""(Wharton- ) Mattie Silver has a huge effect on Ethan's life. Mattie Silver is the cousin of Zeena whose parents had died and she is left with only fifty dollars to make her way through life. ... Mattie is a lively young woman. ... Mattie is the complete opposite of what Zeena had become and this is what attracts Ethan to Mattie so much. ...

• Word Count: 693
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

Every chance he gets Ethan tries to flirt with Mattie but it never works out and his wife tries fire Mattie to save money, so she can take care of her disease. Next Mattie Silver and Ethan Frome try to commit suicide by driving a sled into a "big elm" tree so they wont have to be apart. ... Two Main Characters: The two main characters in Ethan Frome are Mattie Silver and Ethan Frome himself. ... Both of Mattie's parents die so Mattie has to work for Ethan and Zeena in Starkfield. ... Finally at the end all three of the characters Mattie Silver, Zeena Frome, and Ethan Frome are trappe...

• Word Count: 711
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

C: Mattie Silver- Mattie is Zeena's cousin who comes to live with Ethan and Zeena. ... In the action of the story, as a younger man, he is a possible suitor to Mattie Silver. ... When Mattie comes to live at the farm, Ethan develops strong feelings for her. ... Climax: When Mattie must leave the Frome household, Ethan drives her to town. ... Pickle dish- The dish represents Zeena and Ethan's wedding, as Mattie breaks it, it symbolizes that Mattie is breaking Zeena's marriage apart. ...

• Word Count: 756
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

She is a hypochondriac who takes medicine and visits doctors all the time causing Ethan to become attracted to Mattie Silver, Zeena's cousin and caretaker during her illnesses. ... (27) She is a detestable sight to Ethan and Mattie. ... Zeena knows Ethan is attracted to Mattie and that everyone in town knows about their relationship. She is happy that it makes them so miserable when she decides to send Mattie away. ... The only time Zeena is content in life and is able to forget her own ailments is through caring for someone else, even if it is Mattie Silver, whom her husband lov...

• Word Count: 663
• Approx Pages: 3
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

Ethan is a sensitive character with a deep appreciation for nature, and who is drawn to the beauty and vitality of Mattie Silver, his wife's younger cousin. ... He survives and spends the next 24 years caring for Mattie and Zeena. ... She was no longer the listless creature who had lived at his side in a state of sullen self-absorption, but a mysterious alien presence, an evil energy secreted from the long years of silent brooding" Mattie Silver: Zeena's cousin, she is young, beautiful, and full of charm. ... In the time of the story, he is a suitor of Mattie, and a focu...

• Word Count: 700
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

Ethan and the town people believe that Zeena fabricates her sicknesses: "Zeena had always been what Starkfield called sickly' and Frome had to admit that if she were ailing as she believed, she needed the help of a stronger arm -(15) So to accommodate Zeena, a cousin by the name of Mattie Silver comes to assist Zeena with daily chores. ... The story takes a turn to the love that Mattie and Ethan share. All chances of romance are stifled when Zeena requests that Mattie leave the house. ... Zeena, being very adamant about her decision, makes sure that Mattie packs her belongings. ......

• Word Count: 833
• Approx Pages: 3
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

First, using the difference between Ethan's thoughts and his actions towards Mattie Silver, and the difference between Ethan's general attitude the day before Mattie leaves his home for emphasis, the author implies that Ethan suffers from isolation. According to Ethan's thoughts as he and Mattie sit together, it appears that Ethan would like to hold and kiss Mattie in the scant time granted to him during Zenobia's - his wife's - absence... Walking past the Frome Family grave-enclosure with Mattie, Ethan feels a surge of hope and security with the thought that he may l...

• Word Count: 617
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

Later in the novel, Ethan makes the choice to "coast" down the hill with Mattie. ... As Mattie enters his life, Ethan realizes his inability to do much about the feelings he holds towards Mattie. As Ethan thinks of his marriage with Zeena, he often believes "that it would not have happened if his mother had died in spring instead of winter- Eventually, his love for Mattie Silver proves disastrous. When he realizes he cannot run away with Mattie, the two of them decide to die together. ... When Mattie arrives, Ethan regrets his commitment to Zeena, because he sees his missed opportunity ...

• Word Count: 1483
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School