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

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

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: 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

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

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

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

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

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

The three main characters in the novel Ethan Frome, Zeena Frome, and Mattie Silver all seem at one point in time to take on the properties of the season most prominent within the novel, winter. ... Now it is Mattie who becomes, inadvertently, the cause of Ethan's tragic life. ... Mattie was his release and helped him forget all his ills in Starkfield. ... In contrast to Mattie's radiant warmth, Zeena is like that of wintery cold and unappealing. ... The only way he knows how to achieve this is to be with Mattie or create an image in his mind with him and Mattie. ...

• Word Count: 1520
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

Mattie Silver arrives in Starkfield to assist Ethan in caring for Zeena as her health declines. With her grace, beauty and vigor, Mattie embodies everything that Zeena is not, becoming Ethan's motive of escape from confinement. ... When Zeena takes her trip to the doctors for 2 days, Ethan and Mattie use this opportunity have a romantic date together, "alone", but in reality theyre never going to be alone as long as Zeenas cat is around. Upon Ethans arrival that evening, Mattie prepares dinner. ... He saw a way out but never understood how to approach it, until Mattie came along and thei...

• Word Count: 1140
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School