Question

Although Ethan Frome was written over one hundred years ago, it is still widely read today. Why is the story so enduring? Do you think it is a tragedy in the same vein as Romeo and Juliet? Why or why not? Is the story relevant today? Why or why not?

Answer 1

Even though “Ethan Frome”, novel by Edith Wharton, was written over a hundred year ago, it is still widely read today because the theme of the story is world-wide and all-time relevant. This universality of the theme, representing the society and morality as an obstacle to fulfill desires (in this case love), makes “Ethan Frome” relevant a hundred years after and it would probably still be relevant in future, as it’s close to every human’s heart.

Both “Romeo and Juliet” by William Shakespeare and “Ethan Frome” by Edith Wharton deal with the problem of society and morality as an obstacle to fulfill certain desires, which is in both cases forbidden love. Considering the theme, both “Romeo and Juliet” and “Ethan Frome” have the same tragic tone, but the ends show how different and twisted destiny can be.

The love story of Ethan Frome and Mattie is still relevant today, after a hundred years, and probably will stay relevant in future as the theme of the story is on universal level of human struggle with feelings, social norms and morality.