Ethan Frome and Great Gatsby

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‘How does Wharton present the relationships in Ethan Frome and Great Gatsby and how do relationships in TGG illuminate this? Relationships are a vital theme in Ethan Frome as they explore deception as well as superficiality. Wharton’s methods used to convey these ideas highlight the superficiality of Ethan and Mattie’s relationship and how it is portrayed. The idea of fragility in relationships is illuminated in the Great Gatsby through the portrayal of similar over-arching themes. Lionel Trilling clarifies relationships are ‘hell-on-earth, not easily forgotten:’ the relationship between Ethan and Mattie is projected as if there is a lot of passion there although Mattie never reveals how she feels towards Ethan. Wharton projects this passion through Ethan’s actions towards Mattie; describing the different colours in the scenery and how certain objects symbolise the relationship. The scenery in Starkfield is very plain and bare but when Ethan sees Mattie there are flashes of red and it becomes more beautiful and idyllic although temporary. Mattie stands out from the bleakness of the scenery; the cherry-coloured ‘fascinator’ refers to Mattie as an object of fascination who is wearing a fascinator, showing the impact Mattie has on Ethan’s perspective of life and it shows the passion that Ethan has for Mattie. These flashes of red and the changes to the scenery show how Mattie changes his whole perspective; Ethan’s overall outlook on life is reminiscent of the landscape in which he finds himself, yet the flashes of red contrast to the bleakness of the wintery Starkfield. Zeena’s “greyish tinge from the whiteness of the pillow” suggests the negative view of Ethan has of her; it changes how he sees other objects, conversely matching the dullness of Starkfield. Trilling shows how the relationship between Zeena and Ethan as not easily forgotten presuming Ethan as being in
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