Marital Effectuality In Ethan Frome By Edith Wharton

830 Words4 Pages
Marital Effectuality In response to an excerpt from Gilman’s book entitled Women and Economics: “The same human energies and human desires and ambitions within. But all that she may wish to have, all that she may wish to do, must come through a single channel and a single choice. Wealth, power, social distinction, fame, -not only these, but home and happiness, reputation, ease and pleasure, her bread and butter, -all, must come to her through a small gold ring” (Gilman 57). For as long as marriage has been historically recorded, women have fallen victim to a poignant materialism. In Ancient Greek religious (mythological) text, Persephone becomes a slave to Zeus’ self-righteous sense of authority as well as Hade’s superficially-fixated infatuation.…show more content…
Overwhelmed by vulnerability, “[Ethan] saw her [Zeena] preparing to go away”. In contemplation of this abandonment, he almost instinctively “was seized with an unreasoning dread of being left alone” (Wharton 70). This fear of lonesomeness filters into every aspect of Ethan's life, altering each area drastically. Furthermore, Ethan, despite his apparent hatred for his wife, relies on her companionship to function. On the oppose side of the marital spectrum, Zeena regularly professes her hypochondria to her husband. However, in response to the sledding accident, she “seemed to be raised right up just when the call came to her” (Wharton 131). This ironic “miracle” proves Zeena’s addiction to martyrdom, emotionally dependent on first her illnesses, then to her vocational role. Although professedly unhappy, she relies on her marriage for a sense of purpose. In an examination of the constancies, it seems as though both wife and husband, woman and man, are reliant upon both one another and their marriage to function…show more content…
John is very much aware of his wife, the narrator’s mental insecurity. Simultaneously, he embraces a conscious ignorance of his wife, telling her that it would not benefit the situation “if I [she] had ... less opposition and more society and stimulus” (Gilman 1). The reader can assume that John is initially embarrassed and disillusioned by his wife’s illness. This is reiterated as he (“a physician of high standing”) “assures friends and relatives that there is really nothing the matter with one but temporary nervous depression” (Gilman 1). In this instance, John’s social standing as a husband and a doctor conspire against the narrator’s enunciation of her illness. A metaphor is offered that serves as a reverberation of the author’s paradigm. Elaborating on the woman’s vision, “she is ... always creeping, and most women do not creep by daylight” (Gilman 10). In its generality, the role of the married woman is obstructed by the public eye. The need to obey societal normality hinders a couple from venturing astray from the fray and furthermore, seeking independence. The narrator’s entire essence, as well as her hallucinogenic visions stem from her husband’s life and the effects that he has on her. Coincidentally, as she is an extension of his own self, he is obligated to shield her insecurity as he would seclude his own
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