Respond to the questions below in complete sentences in order to receive credit. You can also receive credit by responding or adding to your classmates' responses. Include quotes from and/or specific references to the text in your responses.
1. What plan does Zeena have when she returns? How does Ethan react at first? What do
you think is Zeena’s true motive for dismissing Mattie? What does this discovery mean to Zeena?
2. What discovery does Zeena make? What does this suggest that she will do?
3. What two courses of action can Ethan take? What forces make the decision difficult? What type of conflict is this?
4. Why does Ethan decide to visit Mr. Hale? What does Ethan’s change of heart reveal
about him?
5. For which character do you have the most sympathy (Ethan, Zeena, or Mattie)? Why?
04. Ethan decides to visit Mr. Hale to receive payment from him, so that he can afford to go West with Mattie. Ethan figured Andrew Hale "was a kind-hearted man" (59); he "might be induced to reconsider his refusal and advance a small sum on the lumber if he were told that Zeena's ill-health made it necessary to hire a servant" (59). The more Ethan considered this plan, the more he thought it was the necessary thing to do. However, Mrs. Hale's genuine kindness and sympathy towards Ethan on his way to the Hale's made him reconsider his plan. "For the first time, in the light of the words he had just heard, he saw what he was about to do" (60). Ethan was planning to take advantage of the kindness and sympathy of his friends; he was going to use them for their money on false pretenses. Ethan's change of heart shows that he is not willing to give up his values of friendship to obtain money for the wrong reasons. His desire to be a good person and do the right thing overpower his desire be with Mattie.
ReplyDelete05. Through chapters VI-VIII, I have the most sympathy for Ethan. He was caught off-guard when Zeena brought up the topic of Mattie's leaving and being replaced with a new girl. When Zeena says, "There'll be Mattie's board less, anyhow-" (49), Ethan cannot grasp what he hears. Zeena's dislike for Mattie is obvious, but the idea of Zeena's replacing Mattie is not one that Ethan had anticipated to be a reality so suddenly. His desperation to find a way to stop this from happening only causes him to feel hopeless, as he slowly realizes that keeping Mattie from leaving, or even leaving with Mattie, is impossible. Ethan is just a "poor man, the husband of a sickly woman, whom his desertion would leave alone and destitute; and even if he had had the heart to desert her he could have done so only by deceiving two kindly people who had pitied him" (61).
I agree with Quinn on her answer for number 5. I also have the most sympathy for Ethan because of his tormenting thoughts of losing Mattie and at the begging of the chapters when he struggles through the weather to get the lumber back in time to fix the broken plate. In addition, when Zeena tells him she’s "a great deal sicker than you think"(46) He feels terrible and pitiful for Zeena at how "hard and lonely"(47) she is.
ReplyDelete1. When Zeena comes home she has orders from Dr. Buck to get a "hired girl". This plan frightens Ethan and he reacts with sarcasm and tries to act as if they have no need for a hired girl. He argues with her about paying the new girl and this argument elevates until they are talking about how it is Ethan’s fault she is sick in the first place. Eventually Ethan lets it slip that he didn’t get the money from Mr. Hale and Zeena figures out how he lied so he didn’t have to drive her to the station. This discovery gives her further evidence that Ethan is fond of Mattie and the "hired girl" is really just a plan to get rid of her.
3. The two courses of action Ethan can follow are either to abandon Zeena and go off with Mattie or stay and take care of Zeena. He compares his narrow-minded wife to a story of a "young fellow of about his same age"(56) with a loveless marraige such as his who went with the girl he loved to the West. He comtemplates "why should he not leave with Mattie the next day"(56). The force that makes him decide not to leave or try again to get the money from Mr. Hale is Mrs. Hale. She acts so kind to him stating that, "You've had an awful mean time haven't you "(60). She symapthizes with Ethan. This triggers his conscience and for once "he saw what he was about to do"(60). He decides not to "take advantage of the Hales sympathy"(60).This is what makes the decision excruciatingly difficult for Ethan due to the fact that it is an important decision. The conflicts Ethan faces with the decision is man versus man (Ethan vs. Mrs. Hale) and man versus self (Ethan versus his self conscience).
ReplyDelete- Sarah Hutchinson
2. Zeena finds her prized red pickle dish broken when she goes to get the "powders [she'd] put away in father's old spectacle-case, top the china closet"(53). She is extremely furious about the incident and her anger increases as she learns that it was Mattie who took it down. She is also is sobbing because this dish was very valuable to her. She even says, "You wanted to make the supper table pretty; and you waited till my back was turned, and took the thing I set most store by of everything I've got, and wouldn't never use it, not even when the minister some to dinner, or Aunt Martha pierce come over from Bettsburg-"(54). This event suggests that Zeena has discovered the affection Ethan has for Mattie and that she now knows that their marriage is breaking down.
ReplyDeleteThe character I have the most sympathy for is Ethan. When Zenna returns home from seeing doctor Buck, she says she is more sick then Ethan thinks. "I've got complications"(46). However Ethan for one moment shows compassion. But then Ethan realized his mistake. His wife wanted sympathy not consolation. She then proceeds to tell Ethan that she is going to hire a girl and fire Mattie. Zenna even went so far as to laugh at Ethan. Mattie is Ethan's only source of fun and livelihood and now that is going to be taken from him as well. That is why I have sympathy for Ethan.
ReplyDelete5.) I have Sympathy for Mattie in these couple of chapters. She may have been unskilled and not very useful around the house, but she still tried. She was always as friendly as she could be to Zeena, and honestly cared about her cousin’s health. When she heard of Zeena’s new complications and that she wasn’t good enough help for her, she “stood silent a moment, drooping before him [Ethan] like a broken branch” (52). Zeena blames Mattie for her problems, though. The fault in their marriage is because Ethan is no longer interested in his wife, and never really was. Mattie joined the household because she had nowhere else to go, and needed a job. Zeena has plenty right to be angry, but her spite and cruelty towards Ethan and Mattie makes it somewhat difficult to have sympathy for her at this time. Ethan’s obsession and willingness to leave his wife for Mattie also makes Ethan undeserving of sympathy; he even began writing a farewell letter to his wife (56). Mattie probably doesn’t even have feelings for Ethan; everything is in his head. She may serve as a threat to the couple’s marriage but she does not do it on purpose, thus why I have sympathy for Mattie.
ReplyDeleteIn these last couple chapters i had the most sympathy for Zeena. Although Mattie and Ethan are having a very hard time concerning what Zeena plans to do, I think that Zeena is having the hardest time. She is hurt by Ethans blatant affection for Mattie, something she tried for years to get in the best ways she knew how. She was indignant that a young women- her cousin, no less- could come and do as she pleased and gain his affection with no work at all. When Zeena finds the red dish, it continues to symbolize Zeena and Ethan. From the beginning, it was them. Mattie came and broke this dish, symbolizing how she continuously created cracks in Zeena and Ethans already delicate marriage. Then Ethan tried to fix it- but for Mattie, not Zeena, something that hurt Zeena very much. And finally, when Zeena finds the dish, she takes it away, broken- it will never have the chance to be fixed. I sympathize with Zeena because she has seen all of this from the beginning, and more. I also believe it is possible that Zeena is getting Mattie out of the house because she wants to help Mattie- Zeena can see herself, and what happened to her when she came together with Ethan- she was unhappy, sick, and unloved. Perhaps she wants to save Mattie from the same fate. Zeena is in a great deal of pain in these couple chapters; although she remains stoic, she tries to win Ethan back in one final all-or-nothing attempt- with the dish foreshadowing how it all will end.
ReplyDelete4) Ethan originally goes to see Mr. Hale to see if he can get money for the lumber. The way he plans on doing this is to say that he needs the money because Zeena has taken a turn for the worse, so they need it to pay the doctor. In reality, Ethan was planning on using the money to move west with Mattie. On the way there he meets Mrs. Hale. She tells him that Mr. hale had "a touch o' lumbago" (60). She then listens to his situation and treats him kindly and with sympathy. He would have gotten the money, but " he could have done so only by deceiving two kindly people who pitied him"(61). He there fore decides not to try and get the money. This reveals that Ethan is an honest person. He wouldn't take advantage of people to get what he wants. Therefore, Ethan is honorable and honest.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Jessica, I also have the most sympathy for Zeena. Even after sharing with Ethan how she is "a great deal sicker than you think" (46), Ethan's attention is still given to Mattie. The news that his wife is ill should be his main concern but he is more distraught by the fact that Mattie is going to be let go. I agree with Jessica about the dish as well. He is more concerned about Mattie getting in trouble for breaking the dish than he is about Zeena being crushed by discovering something so dear to her ruined. I don't feel the same sympathy for Mattie as I do for Zeena because although she is losing her job and home, she is young and beautiful and if she can't find a job I can see her finding a husband or someone who she can use to support her. I also can't feel the same amount of sympathy for Ethan because although he is losing Mattie, he needs to open his eyes to reality and realize that Zeena is his wife because that's the path he chose for his life. He needs to support his wife and put aside his wants and desires that are not realistic.
ReplyDelete2) Zeena discovers that her pickle dish has broken. This upsets her a great deal. When she finds out that mattie broke it she goes into a rant of her feelings about mattie. "your a bad girl mattie silver and i have always known it" she tells her leading to the decision she will let her go.
ReplyDelete1. When Zeena returns from seeing Dr. Buck, she tells Ethan that she is planning on getting a "hired girl" which she says is an order from the doctor. Ethan is shocked and tells Zenna she should have told him first before she went out a found someone. He says,"I haven't got the money. That settles it"(48). Zeena then finds out that Ethan lied about getting the money from Mr. Hale and she tells him that Mattie won't be staying with them anymore and will be "board less"(49). Ethan, now upset tells Zeena,"You can't put her out of the house like a thief- a poor girl without friends or money.She's done her best for you and she's got no place to go. You may forget she's your kin but everybody else'll remember it. If you do a thing like that what do you suppose folks'll say of you"(50). This shows Zeena how Ethan truly feels about Mattie.Zeena knows that she definetly needs to get Mattie out of her house and the "hired girl plan" is the perfect way.
ReplyDelete2. I agree with Georgia that Zeena can see from the broken pickle dish that her marriage is falling apart. The affection that Ethan has for Mattie is “officially” revealed in these chapters to Zeena. I feel that this event suggested that she was going to try to save their marriage, or what was left of it, in any way that she could. To complete this task however, she felt that the removal of Mattie was necessary because of the fact that she was a “distraction” to her husband. Once Mattie was gone he would once again be left in the house with Zeena and the cat. This would give her a chance to “win back her husband’s love” and receive his affection and sympathy. In order to remove Mattie, Zeena tells Ethan her doctor’s suggestion. “He wants I should have a hired girl. He says I oughtn’t to have to do a single thing around the house.” (47) This suggestion, coming from her doctor, should be taken considering it affects her health.
ReplyDelete5. I have the most sympathy for Zeena for a few reasons. One reason is Mattie is still so young she is bound to find another man that she truly loves and wishes to marry, that is not already married. Another reason is that Ethan was married to Zeena, a woman who loved her husband though it didn’t always appear that way. Ethan has feelings for Mattie because she was a change in his life that made him experience new feelings that he had never had before. In addition, though Zeena does not directly know, Ethan’s reason for marriage was not because he was passionately in love with Zeena. He could not bear to live in a house filled with silence any longer and, though he was not in love with her, her voice was music to his ears; anyone’s voice would have been music to his ears. Zeena was in love with Ethan when they were wedded, but would never receive the same love back because it was simply not there.
5.) I have the most sympathy for Zeena for many reasons. First off, she is very ill and her conditions get worse as the story plot progresses. In addition, she has to witness her husband grow feelings for her cousin, Mattie, who lives with them as Zeena's caretaker. Zeena married Ethan because she loved him, and Ethan had married Zeena for reasons other then love. Zeena feels as if her and Mattie are competing for Ethan's attention; Mattie obviously being the recipient of Ethan's energy and feelings. Furthermore, Zeena takes a trip to get more information on her illness not knowing that her absence is the perfect time for Ethan and Mattie to be together. All Zeena seems to be doing is looking for love and attention, but is getting nothing from either one of her house mates.
ReplyDelete2. When Zeena comes home from her visit at the doctors, she finds her beautiful red pickle-dish broken." ...her lips twitching with anger, a flush of excitement in her sallow face. The shawl had slipped from he shouldars and was dragging at her down-trodden heels, and in her hands she carried he fragments of the red glass pikle-dish. "I'd like to know ho done this," she said..."(53)Tjis greatly angers Zeena and foreshadows what will happen. The dish itself is a symbol of Ethan and Zeena's shattered marriage but it can suggest that, Zeenas discovered the secret affections between Mattie and Ethan. It also shows that her marriage is disintergrating and Ethan's love for her,if he has any, is gone.
ReplyDelete5. Even though all the characters deserve some amount of sympathy, I think Zeena earned it the most. When she was younger, she truly loved Ethan as she still does but it is fading because he does not love her back. When she found the broken pickle-dish she realizes the affections Ethan has for Mattie. When this is learned her heart is ultimatly broken because her hsband has found another love- and worst of all it is her cousin! She understands that her marriage is falling apart, as it has been for a while. When they were married Ethan was lonely and needed someone to help him run the farm and Zeena was passionatley in love with Ethan. How can one not feel sorry for her? In addition to this, you must also consider Zeena's overall point of view; her marriage is over because her husband is in love with her cousin, she is "sick", and she's stuck in an isolated town where it's cold and depressing. Finally, I also must agree with Jessica on the point that Zeena may want to help Mattie. She probaly realizes her sitchuation- a marriage with no love- and wants to save her cousin from becoming lie her. She doesn't want Mattie to suffer from a fate like hers where she would be unloved by Ethan and unhappy in a depressing town.
2. When Zeena gets back from Dr. Buck, she discovers her prized red pickle dish has been broken. She asks Mattie and Ethan who did it and Ethan blatantly lies to her solely to protect Mattie. However, Zeena knows that he is lying because she says the cat isn't "smart enough to pick up the pieces of my pickle-dish and lay 'em edge to egde on the very shelf he knocked 'em off of." (54). This pickle dish is very dear to her in that she has never brought it down from her secret hiding spot since it was given to her. She is very hurt that it is broken and the fact that Mattie did makes it worse. Her beliefs that Mattie is a "bad girl" are thus strengthened and her resolve to send Mattie away is reinforced. She will now, without a doubt, do everything in her power to make sure that Mattie leaves. Zeena also clearly sees how her marriage has truly shattered and there is no way to fix it, just like the pickle dish.
ReplyDelete3. After the drama with Zeena, Ethan has a decision to make. He makes two choices for himself which are either to leave with Mattie to go West and leave Zeena with the farm and mill, or stay unhappy with Zeena and let Mattie fend off on her own. He begins to choose the first option, the exciting possibilities alluring him; Ethan starts to write a letter to Zeena explaining why he was leaving and saying goodbye, when he noticed that he could not leave her because the farm and mill were not worth much and she would not have enough money to sustain herself. His internal conflict continues when Ethan realizes something, "A moment ago he had wondered what he and Mattie were to live on when they reached the West; now he saw that he had not even the money to take her there." (57). Ethan sees that he has no choice but to stay in his prison with Zeena.
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ReplyDelete1) When Zeena returns from her trip, she plans to dismiss Mattie so that she and Ethan may have enough money for a hired girl. At first, Ethan is taken back by the news. He is forced to explain that they cannot afford a hired girl because he had not received payment from Andrew Hale. Zeena says that her motive for hiring a worker is so that she may not have “to have to do a single thing around the house.” (47) However, her true motives are probably more aimed towards getting rid of Mattie. Zeena discovers Ethan’s affections for Mattie and knows that he cannot afford to pay for both her and a hired girl. She knows that to afford a worker around the house, the two must dismiss Mattie.
ReplyDelete2) Zeena discovers that someone has broken her prized red pickle dish when she goes to retrieve some powders from the china closet. She is heartbroken when she finds out that the thing she prized most had been broken. "You wanted to make the supper-table pretty; and you waited till my back was turned, and took the thing I set most store by of anything I've got…” (54) The red pickle dish was a symbol of Ethan and Zeena’s relationship. Because Zeena had discovered the broken dish, it is suggested that she has also discovered Ethan’s affection for Mattie. She realizes that Mattie’s presence is a strong reason why her and Ethan’s marriage is in such trouble. This suggests that she will try to do away with Mattie from her household.
Sara DeLessio
The character in Ethan Frome that I have the most sympathy for is Ethan. The reason I have the most sympathy for him is because of the situation that he is in. For example, he's caught up in a loveless marriage with a rotten Zeena. Furthermore, he has to deal with the fact that both of his parents have passed away, causing him to throw away his dream career. Now he has Mattie, who he would love to be married to because she is the sunshine of his every day. However, he would have to get rid of Zeena first: an action that is more easily said than done. For these reasons, I feel the most sympathy for Ethan.
ReplyDelete5)The character I have most sympathy for in Ethan Frome is Zeena for a few different reasons. Zeena, being in pain from her sickness has to deal with the fact that she gets no attention from her husband. Because Zeena actually loves Ethan, she feels offended when he doesn't seem to care that she's sick. In addition, she's starting to become aware of Ethan's interest in her cousin who is supposed to be taking care of her, Mattie. When Zeena becomes upset about her dish breaking, Ethan is worried about Mattie being sent away from him. I have a reasonable amount of sympathy for Mattie because I feel like Zeena shows anger toward Mattie instead of Ethan. However, Zeena loves Ethan and wants to believe that Mattie is the one attracting him. I have very little or no sympathy for Ethan, because he put himself in the situation that he complains about. Now that he is married to Zeena he needs to come through with his responsibilities and take care of her rather than being selfish and being focused on fulfilling his desires with Mattie.
ReplyDeleteI would have to agree with everyone who has the most sympathy for Ethan. Zeena's threats to fire Mattie only reinforce Ethan's belief that "She was a hundred times bitterer and more discontent than when he had married her: the one pleasure left her was to inflict pain on him" (56). While it is justifiable for Zeena to be angry with Mattie for breaking the pickle dish, she doesn't have to fire Mattie for something the cat actually did. Zeena's actions to punish Ethan and Mattie are self-centered and therefore I can have no sympathy for her. While Ethan has no right to be very attached to Mattie, Zeena's response shows she is jealous of Mattie. In chapter 7 Zeena says that she is "a great deal sicker than you think" (46). In addition, it has already been pointed out Zeena wants sympathy not consolation. Ethan had to weather through Zeena always being sick and going to new doctors. Finally, Ethan is the person who brings all the money in and the money goes to treat Zeena’s illness. Jonathan Garofalo
ReplyDelete5) I have the most sympathy for Mattie. After she was left on her own by the death of her parents, she was taken by Zeena and Ethan. Ethan's loneliness makes him feel a strong sense of compassion for Mattie. This led to Zeena's jealousy of her and a desire to get rid of her to spite Ethan. Mattie was dragged into the two's marital problems unwillingly and is now being kicked out into the streets because of it. She also has a feeling of guilt for making Ethan want to leave his wife to be with her.
ReplyDelete2) Zeena discovers her pickle jar from her china cabinet has been shattered. That jar was a wedding gift from her aunt that she prized greatly. She never used it or took it down even in the most special of occasions. She was furious with Mattie and told her she was no good and couldn't be trusted. She told Mattie she was fired because of it. Her anger with Mattie was only the spark of an ever-growing burning of hate Zeena had over Mattie. It was not until Mattie slipped up and broke the jar that Zeena could fire her without Ethan knowing of her suspicions between them, so she jumped at the chance.
5.)I agree with nicole and jessica, I have the most sympathy for Zeena in these chapters of the book. Zeena is very ill and is not taken seriously by Ethan, a reader can see this when the author writes, "He no longer believed what Zeena had told him of the supposed seriousness of her state.". Poor Zeena knows her husband is in love with Mattie and now he doesn't think her sickness is serious. Zeena is sick and needs help but is ignored constantly by her husband.
ReplyDelete2.) The discovery Zeena makes is that her pickle dish is broken. Once Zeena finds out Mattie broke the dish, she unleashes all her thoughts on Mattie. She tells her she was a bad girl and how she was warned of Mattie. By Mattie admitting to the incident, she is on her death bed and suggests the future event will be Mattie losing her job at the house.
4.) Ethan decides to visit Mr. Hale because he wants the advance of the 50 dollars for the lumber. Ethan wants the money because he want to run away with Mattie and leave Zeena. For example "Suddenly it occured to him that Andrew Hale, who was a kind-hearted man, might be induced to reconsider his refusal and advance a small sum on the lumber if he were told that Zeena's ill health made in necessary to hire a servant."(59) This shows that Ethan want to get the money from Mr. Hale and wanted to runaway with Mattie. Secondly Ethan's change of heart is caused by the realization that running away with Mattie would present a moral and physical problem. It would be hard for Ethan to pull of and he would feel bad leaving the sickly Zeena all alone. An example is "With sudden preception of the point which his madness had carried him, the madness fell and he saw his life before him as it was" (60-61) This demonstrates that Ethan knew that he would not be able to get away with running away with Mattie. Evidently Ethan had a radical fantasy that he would be able runaway with Mattie but his realization that he wouldn't be able to caused his change of heart.
ReplyDeleteIn these chapters, I have the most sympathy for Zeena. I do agree with Jessica’s response. Ethan never loved Zeena and just married her so he wouldn't be lonely but Zeena always loved him. It's an emotional weight to live with when someone loves another, especially when who he loves works for Zeena. She blows up at Mattie for breaking one of her prized possessions from her wedding; the red pickle dish. This could have been repaired with ease but Zeena went on to insult Mattie because Mattie knew very well it was not supposed to be used. Zeena told Mattie that she never should have brought her into her home and trusted her. She said, "If I'd 'a' listened to folks, you'd 'a' gone before now, and this wouldn't 'a' happened," she said; and gathering up the bits of broken glass she went out of the room as if she carried a dead body... (54). Zeena’s actions were understandable because Mattie knew not to use the pickle dish but did it anyway. Furthermore, I have sympathy for Zeena because everyone treats her like she is the enemy when really she is the victim of Ethan not loving her.
ReplyDeleteI disagree with Sage that Zeena should be sympathized for. Ethan is the one for whom I hold the most sympathy for. Zeena may be sickly but she does not have to make the lives of others miserable as she is doing to Ethan and Mattie. "She had taken everything else from him; and now she meant to take the one thing that made up from all the others"(51). Granted, Ethan may have married Zeena under the wrong pretenses when he did not love her and that was wrong of him but the pain that he has had to bare since then is completely unfair. Because of his marriage with Zeena he is slowly losing his youth, he has lost friendship, he has lost all his passion and the fire in his heart had all but completely vanished until the arrival of Mattie which Zeena is now taking away from Ethan as well. When Mattie is gone Ethan will be left with nothing but a lifeless and cruel wife and a farm to slave over just to make ends meet while his wife spends all of his hard earned money on her own medical purposes. She has obviously seen Ethan's increase in liveliness because of Mattie's arrival and she wishes to take that away from him so she plans to send Mattie away. Mattie is Zeena’s own blood and she is so easily willing to throw her out with nowhere to go. Zeena is cruel and unthoughtful towards others. She may love Ethan but the only way she has proven this love is through her obvious jealousy that she has that Mattie can make Ethan happy but yet Zeena cannot. Now she is taking away the one thing that Ethan cares about. For these reasons I believe Ethan should be sympathized for.
ReplyDelete-Casey Heed
Throughout these chapters I have the most sympathy for Zeena. Her illness continues to get worse and she is affected not only physically from this, but also emotionally. Zeena's marriage also continues to get worse as time passes. When Zeena is not around she is betrayed by Ethan as he continues to prove his feelings for Mattie. "..but he had found her lips at last and was drinking unconsciousness of everything but the joy they gave him." (51) Zeena has done nothing to deserve this betrayal. Although, some say that Zeena is the cause for Ethan's unhappiness, I disagree. It was Ethan's choice to marry Zeena and if he is so unhappy with their marriage then he should not betray her, but tell her and not be together. Although, he is concerned for her health and does not want to leave her with no one to care for her, he can find a way to leave her and still have her be taken care of. This will then leave Ethan to be with Mattie, and Zeena to not have the stress of knowing about their somewhat secret relations.
ReplyDelete2. What discovery does Zeena make? What does this suggest that she will do?
ReplyDeleteUpon Zeena’s return home, she discovers that her dear pickle-dish, the one her Aunt Philura Maple gave her when she married Ethan, was broken. This dish was never used by Zeena and was safely placed at the top of the china closet so no damage would come in its way. When Zeena realizes that it is broken, she is furious. The following quote reveals her anger: “ ‘I went to get those powders I’d put away in fathers’ old spectacle-case, top of the china-closet, where I keep the things I set store by, so’s folks sha’n’t meddle with them-’ Her voice broke, and two small tears hung on her lashless lids and ran slowly down her cheeks. ‘It takes the step-ladder to get at the top of the shelf, and I put Aunt Philura Maple’s pickle-dish up there o’ purpose when we was married, and it’s never been down since, ’cept for the spring cleaning, and then I always lifted it with my own hands, so’s ’t shouldn’t get broke.’ She laid the fragments reverently on the table. ‘I want to know who done this,’ she quavered” (54). Ethan responds by blaming the cat, and Mattie admits that she used it to make the table “pretty”. This further angers Zeena who lets out the following indignant statements: “ ‘You wanted to make the supper-table pretty; and you waited till my back was turned, and took the thing I set most store by of everything I’ve got, and wouldn’t never use it, not even when the minister come to dinner, or Aunt Martha Pierce come over from Bettsbridge…..You’re a bad girl, Mattie Silver, and I always known it. It’s the way your father begun, and I was warned of it when I took you, and I tried to keep my things where you couldn’t get at ’em-and now you’ve took from me the one I cared for most of all…. If I’d ‘a’ listened to folks, you’d ‘a’ gone before now, and this wouldn’t ‘a’ happened’ ” (54). This threatening statement thus suggests that Zeena is going to remove Mattie from her household very soon.
I agree with Brianna in that I hold the most sympathy for Zeena. Sure, Zeena does whine and complain a lot, but it is because she is depressed. It's obvious that she doesn't favor the small, isolated environment that she is currently placed in. The following quote reveals Zeena's distaste for Starkfield: "Zeena's native village was slightly larger and nearer to the railway than Starkfield, and she had let her husband see from the first that life on an isolated farm was not what she had expected when she married" (30). Her marriage is falling apart and she naturally lashes out at Mattie for causing Ethan to betray her. In addition, Ethan is constantly complaining about his dull marriage, yet he is partly to blame, for he is the one who asked Zeena to marry him. Therefore, I have little sympathy for Ethan.
ReplyDelete1. When Zeena returns she decides to hire a person to stay at the house on the advice of her Aunt and the Doctor she traveled to see. This in turn leads to the dismissal of Mattie. Ethan's reactions are described in this quote, "Wrath and dismay contended in Ethan". He does not believe Zeena is really sick but only making up excuses to get rid of Mattie. Zeena's true motive for dismissing Mattie is that she is angry at Mattie and Ethan's relation and closeness. The discovery of Ethan's feelings send Zeena into an indignant rage where she realizes what her parents said about Ethan only marrying her for his own reasons are true. This can be expressing the the quote; "Yes; and my folks all told me at the time you couldn't do no less than marry me after-", when Ethan and Zeena are fighting.
ReplyDelete5. The character I have the most sympathy for is Zeena. She may be whiny and complains but wouldn't anyone who was ignored by their husband that they love? Everyone deserves to be cared for by someone who said they would be there.It's not Zeena's fault she was led on to believe Ethan actually loved her when that was not the case. If Ethan actually cared about her, they way he promised her when he said his wedding vows she wouldn't have the need to beg for attention. Zeena is a victim of Ethan's rash behaviors and she's dealing with in a desperate attempt to get him to care for him.