Character+Analysis


 * Ethan Frome** - Central character of the novel. Although the story is told mainly in the third-person omniscient, the inner workings of the introverted Ethan Frome are expressed throughout. In interpreting __Ethan Frome__ as an updated Greek tragedy, Ethan's mind provides a modern and believable alternative to the Gods and Goddesses of the ancient texts. Whereas actions of humans in the classic tragedies are based on the wills and whims of the Gods, the actions of Ethan have a purely psychological basis. In particular, the development of his transgression in the form of love for Mattie is explained through conscious thought rather than divine intervention. He is comparable to the queen Phaedra in the story of Hippolytus; both form an immoral love that ends in tragedy. Ethan falls for Mattie, while Phaedra falls for her son.


 * Mattie** - Young, bright, and sweet, she becomes the object of Ethan's affection during the novel. She is the bright spot in Ethan's otherwise perceivably dull life. Mattie becomes the object of Ethan’s mad devotion just as Hippolytus becomes the object of Phaedra’s devotion in the Greek tragedy “Hippolytus.” This is another link in the chain from legend to the modernized “history” told in Ethan Frome.


 * Zeena** - Ethan's hypochondriac wife, she represents the stale life on the farm that Ethan grows to detest. Obstinate and vengeful, she is the derivative of the king Theseus in "Hippolytus." Both characters inflict some wrath on those approaching their respective spouses; Zeena kicks Mattie out of the Frome household due to her bond with Ethan, while Theseus kills his son for his suspected infringement on Queen Phaedra.


 * The Narrator** - Provides a human interface for the novel. He is responsible for the framework that surrounds the primary story and adds elements of suspense and personal pity. In a broader sense he adds yet another element of humanism to the story which further modernizes comparatively stark Greek tragedies, which have an omnipresent narrator.

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