Ethan Frome Antagonism
Ethan Frome - Antagonism‘“That man touch a hundred? He looks as if he was dead and in hell now!”’
Ethan Frome was a man whose fate was never meant for him to be happy and satisfied with his life. He could definitely be considered the scapegoat of a situation that could arguably be his own fault. The deaths of his father, mother and, ironically, his marriage to Zeena were all problematic misfortunes that he dealt with each day. And then his sad tale takes a turn for the better and Ethan truly falls in love. Mattie is the woman in charge of caring for Zeena in her, what seems like a lifetime, in sickness. Mattie is young, carefree, and isn’t the antagonist that Zeena proves to be.
‘For the life of her smile, the warmth of her voice…’
How sad is the day when a man yearns for the laughter of a woman other than his own wife. Ethan’s internal conflict is heart wrenching. His allegiance to his wife keeps him bound to her and yet his heart draws him to think unfaithful thoughts. However, Ethan is not and can not be considered a single offender. Zeena herself is not much of a faithful wife, and this is not in the sense of involving another man. Zeena is constantly sick, whether it be physical or mental illness or, just plainly, in her head, and therefore causing her to be self-pitiful and unaware of the needs of anyone but herself.
‘…it would hardly have occurred to Zeena to take any thought for the girl’s amusement.’
Zeena does not go out of her way to keep happiness in their home, she doesn’t treat Ethan as a husband but as some man she has to live with. She goes about her daily complaining and took her marriage for granted.
And then Mattie comes along. She’s not really the domestic type but is willing to learn and through her time spent in the Frome home she wins the heart of Ethan. Zeena is not so naïve and of course realizes what has happened. Suddenly she becomes jealous and her antagonistic qualities not only reflect on Ethan but Mattie as well. The scapegoat in the story becomes the two star-crossed lovers. Zeena’s jealousy and resentment towards Mattie comes out on a large scale when Zeena finds that Mattie has caused a...
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