Ethan Frome, the main character of the story, experiences a wave of new changes that uplifts his life. Ethan falls in love and marries the women sent to care for his ill mother. Five years later, this woman, his wife, becomes sickly. Then another girl comes to her care and he falls in love with her. Through this whole duration of time Ethan tries to change himself and the way he acts. In the end however, by fate or by choice, he always ends up the caretaker, the one taking orders.
Ethan's mother grew ill when he was just twenty-one years old. Ethan, still a young man, was unable to care for his mother on his own. The family sent him a distant cousin, Zenobia Pierce, to his and his mother's aid. After spending a large amount of time with Zeena, Ethan grew to love her. He may have seen his mother's warm and compassion in her, or he may have just needed someone around. This is his first sign of weakness that shows, he has to have dependency on some motherly figure to feel secure. Once his mother was gone he chose Zeena to fill her place. Zeena however would not be the motherly figure; she could be compared more to that of the father, demanding and tough.
Soon Zeena grew ill and a relative was sent to care for her. By this time, Ethan had become quite a workhorse. He was a dedicated man, one who always worked hard to squeeze every penny out of his farm. He would always take care of his wife, getting her the necessary doctors and buying her the needed medicine. Ethan was a strong and tall man, as described by the townspeople, but he was passive. He did whatever his sick wife wanted, Zeena had total control of him. This thought that if he did everything possible for her that she may be saved goes back to his mother's death. This is the reason he is so willing to do and listen to everything Zeena says. .
Zeena's caretaker, Mattie Silver, is a young and vibrant individual. When Ethan first sees her he falls in love instantly.