Ethan_Frome

Ethan Frome In many stories written about or during the 1800’s, it is not uncommon to see serving people as characters. During this era, young girls were often brought into households to tend to the “dirty work” that their masters were too proud or too frail to do themselves. As a result of being servants, these girls were looked down upon and often not even seen as people. Serving was nothing less than degrading. In Edith Wharton’s novel, Ethan Frome, Mattie Silver breaks all the rules about how hired people are seen, how they act and how they are treated. It is true that she comes into her situation with all the qualities of a stereotypical maid; but by looking at the way Ethan regards Mattie, the way Mattie sees herself, and through the twist at the end, it is clear to see how Mattie defies the norm. As soon as Mattie settles into Starkfield, she ignites a spark of youthful exuberance in the dreary town. Once Ethan finds himself preoccupied with love for Mattie, all expectations of her to become a mere humble maid are abolished. Because Ethan is unable to communicate his feelings to mattie, hired, ethan, zeena, girl, herself, even, way, starkfield, about, zeena’s, treated, thought, silver, servant, seen, people, one, often, mattie’s, master, maid, life, less, isn’t, household, frome, family, during, comes, being, because, act, women, wife, usual, town, tend, serving, relationship, out, once, now, nothing, kitchen, housekeeping, house, girls, frome’s, frail