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Anti-Feminism in Ethan Frome

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Anti-Feminism in Ethan Frome

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    1. Anti-Feminism in Ethan Frome and Edith Wharton’s frustration with a patriarchal society By: Kyle, Steph, Katie, Liz, Ashley

    2. Zeena “She’s a pauper that’s hung onto us all after her father’d done his best to ruin us. I’ve kep’ her here a whole year: it’s somebody else’s turn now.” In this quote, Zeena comes off as a scorned and horrible woman. She makes a decision that any married woman should make in this position, but because she is in power, the reader sees her as evil.

    3. Ethan “But sometimes the two of them get going at each other, and then Ethan’s face’d break your heart...” Even though it is Ethan that propositions Mattie, and Ethan that shows no love for his wife, society in the end sympathizes with him. In a male dominated society, any woman who takes authority over a man is seen as breaking him.

    4. Mattie “And i say, if she’d ha’ died, Ethan might ha’ lived...” Mattie was just a young girl being seduced and propositioned by an older gentleman. Society portrays her as the temptress, when really she was just giving in to temptation, just as Ethan had. Yet in the end, society blames her for Ethan’s current state, instead of blaming Ethan.

    5. Two of a kind: Zeena vs. Wharton Edith Wharton was forced into marriage like Zeena. Zeena and Ethan didn’t have much of an intellectual connection. However, Zeena took care of Ethan’s parents; so they settled together to avoid loneliness. Both Zeena’s husband and Edith’s husband cheated on them. Both women were sick; which could be attributed to a lack of attention from their husbands. Both marriages were going downhill, and neither marriage seemed to be a happy one. Edith Wharton even referred to marriage as her “greatest mistake”.

    6. Wharton’s frustrations Wharton grew up in a patriarchal society, and every decision in her life had been made by men. In writing this novel, she found a way to send a message to society. Men have the power, even when women make the decisions. This novel was her way of releasing those frustrations. In a way, this novel gave her the power she never had before.

    7. Continued Wharton experienced the wrath of too much male control, and it took a toll on her mental health. This part of her life seems to add to the control men had over her. Her husband was cheating, yet she was the one who suffered. The quote at the end of the novel, “...and the women have got to hold their tongues.” is a kind of ironic humor. It is Wharton making fun of her own society and her life.

    8. The Scarlet Letter Hester commits adultery in a patriarchal society. Society focuses attention on her and not the father (Dimmesdale). She is punished unequally by society compared to that of Dimmesdale when he eventually comes out with the truth: socially isolated. Zeena is cast in a bad light; audience feels remorse towards Ethan for not being able to be with his lover, Mattie (even though it’s wrong).

    9. THE END

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