Wharton sets Ethan Frome in Starkfield, a place that is by her own description both harsh and beautiful. Stark implies an uninviting environment that is cold and desolate. Field however suggests an environment that is ready for growth. She is careful to point out that not everyone who is born into this environment is trapped when she says that most of the smart ones got away (p.13). Everyone born into this environment is not stuck; they can chose to move away. After presenting Ethan to us we are left to wonder if he was unable to get away because of his circumstances, or if he was simply not smart enough with his decision making to get away. Ethan can be viewed two ways, either as a victim of naturalism, or an individualist. Naturalism is the idea that your environment shapes you life, and your decisions matter less. Individualism is the idea of free will, the ability to control your own destiny with your decisions. Wharton presents us three key junctures in Ethan’s life, First is in the bedroom when Zeena tells Ethan that Mattie has to leave, Second is in the study when Ethan composes his undelivered letter to Zeena, and finally on the sled when Ethan drives for the Elm tree.
Zeena hatches a plan to dispense of Mattie and trap Ethan forever when she wants to bring in hired help. In the bedroom confrontation Ethan decides to take a stand and not let Zeena take Mattie, however she shuts down Ethan’s wishes when she says, ” I know well enough what they say of my having kep’ her here as long as I have.” (p.94) At this point Ethan realizes that he cannot win with Zeena. Instead of retorting to Zeena that he does not care what other people think about their life, he allows her to make the final decision about Mattie. Ethan merely needed to stand up and be the turn of the 20th century man that he was and take a stand with his wife. However he fails to make this simple choice. Instead he allows Zeena to get to him. This leaves him feeling outmaneuvered and desperate.
In his study Ethan initially decides that he is too young and full of life to stay with Zeena (p.104). He wants to leave Zeena the farm and mill and move west. He decides that he would be able to support himself but not Mattie as well (p.106). This is interesting because he felt he was unable to do this when he chose to marry Zeena. At that point in his life he could have left Starkfield. He could have abandoned the farm and moved away a single free man. Again when he is in his study he is unable to make the decision to run away with Mattie. He justifies his staying because he wants to maintain the moral highroad in his life. He decides that no matter how bad he wants to leave he can’t without looking and feeling like a man that took the easy way out. At the end of the night he decides to take the easy way out and dreams of Mattie instead of making a smart decision.
When people feel trapped in situations with no way out they can make emotional and unsound decisions. Even up to the last moment when Mattie was to leave Ethan was unable to make a decision. Instead he chooses to ride on a sled with her. At Mattie’s suggestion, and his agreement he drives the sled into the Elm tree. This shows the Ethan is impressionable. He has allowed Zeena and now Mattie to make decisions for him. Perhaps Ethan and Mattie felt that this was the only way out. This was wrong however. At that point they could have both escaped. If not right away they could have waited a few months and planned better. In one moment Ethan makes the worst decision yet.
In one selfish move Ethan turns Zeena into his and Mattie’s caretaker for life. Not only this but he turns Mattie into another broken women. His botched attempt at suicide leaves him trapped in Starkfield forever. This is fitting because all of Ethan’s life decisions leave him more trapped in Starkfield. His decision-making process ends with this one major decision leaving him trapped forever. Once Zeena has Ethan trapped she changes her demeanor and returns to her role as caretaker. This is a case of failed individualism. His environment did not decide Ethan’s life; it can be characterized by a long string of bad decisions leading up to the suicide attempt. In the end Frome is a victim of his inability to make good decisions. Ethan then felt trapped by his poor decisions and decides to take the easy way out, and fittingly it leaves him even more trapped in Starkfield.
