Ethan Frome Quiz In Wharton's New England, Barbara White describes in vivid detail the importance of the setting of Ethan Frome. White describes the frozen atmosphere in the story to be “void like” and refers to winter in Starkfield like an isolated chain of despair. She points out that there really is no color in the story of Ethan Frome, except for the occasion where symbolism takes place. For example, the red pickle dish is symbolic to Ethan and Zeena's marriage. When the red pickle dish breaks, so does his crumbling relationship with his wife. She also wrote about the hindrance of snow. White describes it as being organized and blocks Ethan in making crucial decisions. An extremely good point that she mentions was when the pickle dish