The movie "Ethan Frome- portrays three major issues in relationships: love, betrayal, and communication. Ethan, whose entire life turned to be made of dreams that are ruined by the circumstances, is sympathetic, silent, shy, and nave. I believe Ethan's life lacked true love, whether it was from his wife or Mattie's side. Despite the fact that Ethan practiced immorality and betrayed his wife, the viewers develop a sense of sympathy for him when he has an affair with his mean wife's cousin, Mattie. Ethan and Zeena's marriage lacked affection and communication since Ethan only married her to repay her kindness towards his mother as well as his need for someone to care for him. As a result of that lack, Ethan turned towards Mattie, who represented everything Zeena wasn't: young, alive, and colorful. The audience, somehow, develop a sense of understanding for the odd couple's union and hold a pleasant view towards Ethan and Mattie, still viewing the wife with dislike.
Winter creates an important factor which affected the development of the events in the film. Winter in the North is known to last for about six months of the year, and the harsh snow seemed to burry the emotions of the sensitive man underneath it: "If it was spring then it would have been different, but it was winter [townswoman during the marriage of Ethan and Zeena]."" The coldness of the winter seemed to control not only Ethan and Zeena, but also affected the townspeople and seemed to diffuse through their bodies and into their bones.
Ethan Frome's life revolved around caring for the sick. Before the beginning of the film, it was made known to the viewers that Ethan gave up his dream of moving to the city to look after his sick mother. After his mother's death, his wife also fell weak and at the end of the film Ethan ended up looking after his sick wife, her crippled cousin as well as himself; emotionally destroyed with a limp.