Thomas Foster wrote an extremely helpful book dealing with reading actively. His book provides many useful concepts for every reader to consider. How to Read Literature Like a Professor speaks heavily about symbols and ironies (pg #s), two subjects very prominent in Ethan Frome. Communion is also spoken of, as is weather. (pg #s) The thesis statement will go here when it is determined at a later time.
Many meals were had throughout the course of Ethan Frome. Foster explains that meals are uninteresting and most authors dislike writing about them, so meals are always symbolic in some way. (Foster 8) Mattie and Ethan were left alone when Zeena had to make a trip out of town. They ate together that evening, and the events of the night caused a turning point in the story. The meal scene was very important as a whole, because it really cemented the feelings between Ethan and Mattie. This meal also symbolized a little slice of sex, a topic not easily discussed in Victorian literature. They were a bit awkward at first but slowly grew more comfortable with each other until… Oops! Zeena’s beloved and protected pickle dish gets broken! (Wharton 50) …show more content…
The pickle dish is a picture of the trust that Zeena had to have in the two to leave them alone together, which she clearly had or she would never have left them alone for a long period of time. Of course, why would she worry about leaving her husband and her cousin to keep house in her absence? She had no reason to have any concerns. When the dish is broken by accident, the short scene depicts her trust being shattered as well. The fact that Ethan is ready to put all of the blame on the cat shows just how selfish he is, and how little he cares for