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Ethan Frome


Zeena was the first person that was a distraction from his ideal "self". "When he saw her [Zeena's] preparing to go away, he was seized with an unreasoning dread of being left alone on the farm; and before he knew what he was doing he asked her to stay there with him. He had often thought since that it would not have happened if his mother had died in the spring instead of the winter" (52). In Ethan's mind, the winter was a time of seclusion and being alone. When Mattie came, the yearning for someone to divert his attention from himself was placed on her. He did not grasp that she would be the exact vehicle that would bring his "self" back into the circles of his thought.
             Mattie fulfilled all the desired qualities he had for himself. She was that free and natural spirit he wanted to embody. He didn't realize this when he first met her, but as their relationship progressed, he sub-consciously made associations with her and himself. ". he learned that one other spirit [Mattie's] had trembled with the same touch of wonder" (25). He saw an outward curiosity that he had learned to suppress in himself. Mattie was able to defend herself. She exemplified this trait when she stood up to Denis Hale in the church yard. She did not obey Denis and accept his offer to bring her home (33). This boldness was a trait that Ethan yearned to have. He was constantly being bossed around by his wife. His only defense was to drown her out with other thoughts. Another thing Ethan loved was Mattie's talk. It gripped him. Ethan liked her words and the way they flowed out in a headlong way. "By nature grave and inarticulate, he admired recklessness and g!.
             aiety in others and was warmed to the marrow by friendly human intercourse" (51). .
             By loving and controlling Mattie, Ethan felt as though he was enabling himself to manipulate his desired self-image and obtain it. She became a control object that Ethan felt power and authority over.


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