Symbolism is a thing that stands for or represents both itself and something else (p.128). Multiple times in the short story “Ethan Frome” the author Edith Wharton demonstrated symbolism. She strongly displayed it when Ethan’s wife Zeena left for the night to go visit a doctor. During that night many things happened which caused Ethan to think of his wife. The cat, rocking chair and the pickle dish are more than random objects, they have deep meanings to Ethan Frome. In chapter four after Mattie had set the table for supper the cat, Puss, had jumped between them into Zeena’s empty chair (p. 47). After supper Ethan and Mattie were doing their own thing the cat had jumped into Zeena’s rocking chair after Mattie had go out it. The cat rolled itself into a ball and lay watching them with narrowed eyes (p. 50). The symbolism of the cat is being in all the spots Zeena would be if she was there. Even though Zeena is out of town it is as if she is still there because of the cat. …show more content…
She obeyed Ethan and as her young brown head detached itself against the patchwork cushion that habitually framed his wife gaunt countenance, Ethan had a momentary shock (p. 50). They both had realized that she resembled Zeena sitting in the chair and so Mattie left. Later on in the night Mattie and Ethan were having a talk and they stated to get closer to each other. In the middle of Ethan marveling over Mattie’s work the cat had jumped out rocking chair, and as a result of the sudden movement the empty chair had set up a spectral rocking (p.53). The role of the rocking chair is that Mattie looked like Zeena while she sat there and the rocking of it when the cat jumped was as if her ghost was there rocking