The novel Ethan Frome is written by Edith Wharton. In Ethan Frome, the narrator, is an engineer living in Starkfield, Massachusetts, seeks travel help of a somewhat mysterious man in the community named Ethan Frome. One winter night, Ethan invites the narrator into his home to get out of the terrible weather. This is where the narrator receives the full story of Ethan’s life. When Ethan was younger, he took care of his sick parents until they passed. After they died, he married his wife, Zeena, who is also sick and requires his care. Zeena’s poor cousin named Mattie soon moves in to help take care of the household, and Ethan finds himself developing feelings for her. One factor that impacts the events of this story is the winter setting in…show more content… One night, while helping the narrator commute, the snowy Massachusetts weather becomes too harsh to continue in. Because of this, Ethan invites the narrator into his home for the night to escape the weather. The narrator states that “It was that night that I found the clue to Ethan Frome, and began to put together the vision of his story” (18). If the weather were warm and pleasant, the opportunity for the narrator to learn more about Ethan would never exist, because there would be no travel issues that would force them to stop for a night. Another aspect of the story that has potential to be extremely different if it were not for the winter setting is Ethan’s marriage with Zeena, which is almost completely loveless. Ethan’s proposal to Zeena occurs due to the circumstance and convenience of the season. For example, Ethan “had often thought since that it would not have happened if his mother had died in spring instead of winter…” (41). If the passing of Ethan’s mother did not occurred in a time where another warm body in his household is convenient, he might not have asked Zeena to marry
