Ethan Frome

            
            
             The book Ethan Frome starts set in Starkfield Massachusetts with the narrator of the book wondering about Ethan Frome (the man) and asking people in the town what they know Ethan. The narrator only finds little bits of information about Frome from Mrs. Hale but ends having to stay at his house one night. After that, the story goes back in time to when Ethan Frome was younger and not sad like he is in the beginning of the book. Next the book describes how Ethan tries hard to get close to Mattie, his sick wife Zeena's cousin. Ethan later falls in love with Mattie because he doesn't like his mean wife.
             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. Their attempt at suicide doesn't work but they are both hurt. At the end of the book, the story goes back to the future where Mattie, Ethan and Zeena live together but they all hate each other.
             Two Main Characters:.
             The two main characters in Ethan Frome are Mattie Silver and Ethan Frome himself. They fall in love even though Ethan's wife is sick. Both of Mattie's parents die so Mattie has to work for Ethan and Zeena in Starkfield. In the beginning of the story Ethan is a very quiet hard looking man that the narrator is curious about but when the book goes back in time it explains why he became so bitter and angry.
             Two Minor Characters:.
             Two minor characters are the narrator and Zeena Frome. Ethan Frome's first chapter begins with the narrator's point of view where he is in the post office watching what Ethan does and finding out little bits of information on his past. The book never explains much of anything about him besides his job of delivering things and the fact that he stayed with Mrs. Ned Hale.