Ethan Frome is a dramatic romantic story based on the love triangle between Ethan, his wife Zeena, and their housekeeper Mattie Silver. The author introduces multiple themes and conflicts throughout its words and pages. Within these themes of love, poverty, and isolation the author introduces three distinct symbols being the outdoors, bedroom and kitchen which come to mean much more than originally thought of as the novel progresses. These three symbols highlight and contain the major conflicts that arise all throughout the novel.
It is no coincidence that the novel takes place in the cold and boring town of Starkfield, Massachusetts. The word `stark` means bare, desolate and grim; this not only describes the actual town of Starkfield, but…
The kitchen is a great deal warmer that both the outside and other rooms of the house. Because Ethan and Mattie share many in depth moments while in the kitchen, this warmth represents her vitality not only in the Frome household but in the whole town of Starkfield. An example is when Mattie and Ethan are by themselves in the kitchen and share their first kiss while Zeena is away on a trip to another town. But the objects contained in the kitchen seem to act in Zeena’s place while she’s gone, as though she never leaves and keeps a watchful eye on the two of them. Every time Ethan and Mattie get close to one another or their thoughts turn toward each other, the cat jumps in Zeena’s chair or progresses toward one of them. The cat appears as to actually be Zeena, and in her absence does anything to keep Ethan and Mattie apart for Zeena’s sake. The pickle dish also symbolizes many elements of the story; it was a gift given to Ethan and Zeena on their wedding day and had been undisturbed since that special day. The dish is like their vows – in that they were ignored and never thought of again because it was placed on the top shelf while they don’t honor their vows. The cat, representing Zeena, then knocked the dish down, causing it to shatter into pieces, in an attempt to separate Ethan and Mattie. When Zeena finally discovered the dish was broken she was enraged beyond what anyone would assume. When you delve deeper into the meaning of the broken pickle dish, then you can tell she’s obviously not mad over the actual broken dish at all, but for what it truly actually symbolizes…her broken marriage to Ethan…
