Journal+12

=__**Journal #12: Choose a "FRAME" for "//Ethan Frome//" and provide examples from the beginning, middle, and end.**__= The novella //Ethan Frome// by Edith Wharton tells a tragic story through a variety of literary frames. Throughout the novella, ideas of Marxism and money are presented as a scapegoat, but Marxism does in fact lead up to Frome's downfall. Pride can destroy somebody's life or character, and Ethan Frome's pride leads to his demise because it plays a big part in his decision making. Wharton strongly integrates the literary frame that a person's pride leads to his or her downfall.

In the beginning of Wharton's short story, Ethan constantly desires to confess his true feelings to Mattie, but his immense pride holds him back from expressing his feelings. He is too afraid of her response to his feelings, so Ethan decides it is best not to tell her and watch her from a distance. With all of Ethan's swelling "love" building up within him, he starts to act out of emotion instead of thinking before he acts. He goes so far as to lie to his wife, Zeena, to get a night alone with Mattie, but his pride haunts him once more, and the "romantic" night's mood dies. To add to the night's failure, Zeena finds out and confronts them about their actions. The failure of his night alone with Mattie does not prevent Ethan from continuing to act out of his pride.

Towards the middle of the novella, Ethan's pride continues to hinder his actions. Zeena sends Mattie away, but Ethan has the power to make her stay by asking for money. For Ethan to ask for more money, he must put his pride aside, but Ethan decides he "cannot do anything"; thus, he sits and watches Mattie leave. He is too afraid of what people in the town might say about him, so he is such a loser that he bails on the idea and helps Mattie leave! Once again, his pride causes him great strife and causes his weaknesses to shine. Ethan's pride continues to influence his decisions throughout the middle of the novella.

Mattie is forced to leave in the end which is the backbone for the "smash-up", and if Ethan would set his pride aside, then the "smash-up" would have never happened! Ethan is too afraid to leave Mattie and return home to Zeena after everything they have been through. Ethan is ashamed of his deeds and feels like Zeena will always hold it against him as long as she lives. His pride steps in to give Ethan the bright idea to go along with Mattie's mad idea of suicide. If Ethan kills himself, then he will not have to return home and all of his troubles will "disappear". Ethan's pride is so strong that it leads him to attempt suicide, and it convinces him that death would be better than accepting his wrong actions to Zeena!

Wharton strongly presents the literary frame that pride leads to one's demise in //Ethan Frome//. Ethan's pride continually hinders him in his life, and it causes him to make irrational decisions without thinking them through. Pride becomes a dangerous personality flaw when there is too much of it; moreover, in Ethan Frome's case, it destroys his life. The novella presents the tragic events of //Ethan Frome// through a plethora of literary frames, but it mainly focuses on the idea that pride leads to a person's downfall.