Ethan Frome
by Edith Wharton
About The Book
ETHAN FROME by Edith Wharton
Grades 11-12
On a bleak New England farm, a taciturn young man has resigned himself to a life of grim endurance. Bound by circumstance to a woman he cannot love, Ethan Frome is haunted by a past of lost possibilities until his wife's orphaned cousin, Mattie Silver, arrives and he is tempted to make one final, desperate effort to escape his fate. In language that is spare, passionate, and enduring, Edith Wharton tells this unforgettable story of two tragic lovers overwhelmed by the unrelenting forces of conscience and necessity.
About The Author
EDITH WHARTON
There is an adage for writers which says, "Write what you know." This means that the best material for a writer is rooted in the writer's own experience. The depth and richness of Edith Wharton's writing is derived from her own life.
Wharton was born in 1862 to a highly privileged family in New York City. Originally born Edith Jones, her surname is thought to be the one referred to in the idiom, "keeping up with the Joneses." Her family was socially well-connected and young Edith grew up among the social elite in New York, the epicenter of culture, arts, fashion, and style. Wharton developed a propensity for the arts--both written and visual-- from an early age.
An avid storyteller and illustrator, Wharton showed creativity as a child and young adult. Interior decorating was a favorite creative outlet for Wharton, as it gave her a means of artistic self-expression that was socially acceptable for a woman.
Wharton's highly privileged lifestyle afforded her with opportunities to travel abroad, which gave her a great deal of creative inspiration. Though she built an expansive estate in New England, Wharton maintained a residence in France. Wharton frequently entertained guests and invited friends who were among the greatest authors and artists of the day to her homes. Most notable of these friends was Henry James, an American novelist whose works explore themes similar to those in Wharton's writing. While living in France during World War I, Wharton became involved in support efforts for the allied side.
Wharton did not return to America to live after the war. During this period Wharton wrote some of her most celebrated works including The Age of Innocence. This novel and others such as The House of Mirth and The Buccaneers explore the issues faced by upper-class women at the turn of the 20th century.
Marked by wit and irony, Wharton's works insightfully challenge the societal expectations for women. Wharton's novel The Age of Innocence was awarded a Pulitzer Prize in 1921; this is especially notable, as Wharton was the first woman to receive this distinction.
Wharton died of a stroke in France in 1937, her lifetime spanning great change in American culture and society.
Teaching Notes
for ETHAN FROME
Ethan Frome is a classic American work of Fiction.
One of the central themes of the novel is the destructive power of isolation. Ethan Frome is trapped in a loveless marriage to Zeena, and the isolation of their life together drives him to despair. He longs for a connection with another person, and this desire ultimately leads him to an affair with his wife's cousin, Mattie. However, the isolation of their town and the social norms of the time ultimately prevent Ethan from escaping his situation.
Another theme of the novel is the power of duty and obligation. Ethan feels a duty to take care of his sickly wife, Zeena, even though he no longer loves her. This sense of obligation prevents him from pursuing a relationship with Mattie, even though he is deeply in love with her.
The novel also explores the idea of fate and the role it plays in our lives. Ethan feels that his life is predetermined, and that he has no control over his fate. This fatalistic worldview ultimately leads him to make decisions that seal his fate and prevent him from finding happiness.
We recommend teaching Ethan Frome in grades 11 or 12 because of the complexity of the themes and the implied sexual content. It isn't graphic sexual content--in accordance with the moral and writing standards of Wharton's time--but a significant aspect of the book is Ethan's lusting after Mattie, the beautiful young woman he longs to have.
Available Resources
FOR ETHAN FROME
The LitPlan Novel Unit Bundle has the complete LitPlan Novel Study, Puzzle Pack, Google Forms Quizzes, and the Interactive PDF Unit Test for Ethan Frome.
The LitPlan Novel Study has everything you need to teach Ethan Frome: step-by-step daily lessons, study questions, quizzes, writing assignments, activities, vocabulary work, critical thinking questions, review materials, and 5 unit tests.
The Puzzle Pack has all kinds of end-of-book review activities: crossword puzzles, word searches, matching worksheets, magic squares, bingo, juggle letters, and more for both the unit words and the vocabulary list for Ethan Frome.
The Google Forms Quizzes put the Ethan Frome LitPlan's multiple-choice questions into the self-grading Google Forms Quiz format. There are multiple quizzes, one for each LitPlan reading assignment. Links are given to copy the quizzes to your Google Drive. Great for Google Classroom! They can also be printed out and used on paper if you prefer that.
The Interactive PDF Unit Test is a single, multiple-part end of the book unit test for Ethan Frome. Students can type their answers right into the document, save it, and return it to you electronically. Great for digital classrooms! It can also be printed out and used on paper if you prefer that.
The Movie Version resource gives a very detailed account of the differences between the book Ethan Frome and the movie. It's a great help as an "answer key" if you have students write a comparison/contrast essay on this topic.
The Prestwick House Teaching Unit provides some background, chapter vocabulary words with definitions, short answer study questions for each chapter, and a 20-questions multiple-choice test with 4 essay questions for Ethan Frome.
The Response Journal has a selection of writing/discussion prompts for each section of the book Ethan Frome plus a 20-question multiple-choice unit test.
The Activity Pack contains over 40 activities that will help students think about Ethan Frome in novel ways while learning about literary elements such as theme, symbolism, characterization, allusion, and more.
The AP Literature Unit has questions about Ethan Frome formatted like the AP Exam, with explanations of the correct answers.
The Grammardog Guide contains 16 analytical multiple-choice quizzes with a total of over 250 questions covering: grammar, proofreading, sentence types, figurative language, literary devices, imagery, allusions & symbols, theme, and more--all directly related to Ethan Frome!
The Vocabulary From Literature resource has a variety of vocabulary skills activities for specific words within each section of the book Ethan Frome.
In addition, we have a variety of single activities for Ethan Frome available in our Free To $3 Shop.
Quick Links to More Resources
Wikipedia Article About Ethan Frome
Ethan Frome SparkNotes Study Guide
The Project Gutenberg eBook of Ethan Frome
Video of Ethan Frome on Amazon
Audio of Ethan Frome on YouTube
PBS Episode Edith Wharton-Lifestyle on YouTube
A Few Free Ideas
- After students have read a section of Ethan Frome, have them read the SparkNotes (or any analytical study) summaries for that section of the book and write a paragraph stating what they think the most important analytical points were in the SparkNotes analysis. This works best if you are doing in-class reading, to ensure students aren't just reading the SparkNotes.
- Discuss ways in which the book Ethan Frome shows the moral code of the time in which it was written. Then, compare that moral code to our current society's moral code.
- Discuss why reading a book like Ethan Frome is worthwhile.
- Have students cast a current-day movie of Ethan Frome set in modern times and explain how it would be different from the book written 100+ years earlier.
- Pair students and have them choose a scene from the book to act out.