A Depressing Tale

I would have to argue that Ethan Frome is the most depressing story that we have read for class so far. This is even when taking into account Jack London’s "The Law of Life" and "To Build a Fire". From the beginning of the story there is a dark and sad overtone to everything and you get the impression that something really tragic has happened to this mysterious Ethan Frome. I assumed that it had something to do with his wife who I supposed was sick since he received medication for her on a regular basis. As the story continued and I learned of Mattie and Frome’s obsession with her I realized that there had to be something else behind his depressed state.

As the story progressed and we learn how much Ethan hopes to win the heart of Mattie, I began to realize that his future crippled body must have something to do with her. I began to hypothesize that he kills her when she accepts a proposal from one of her beau and that perhaps her death is never pinned on him. I thought that through this story we were going to get the confession of a man tormented by past sins. I held this hypothesis even after she professes her love for him and she is sent away by Zenobia. During the ride to the train and the first sled ride down the hill, I anticipated that the possessive nature of Ethan would lash out and take her life. I was very surprised by the decision to commit suicide together.

Once the sled hit the tree and the two were lying there in agony, I again assumed wrongly that Mattie would die and that Frome would live out his life guilty of having taken the life of someone who could have found happiness elsewhere if it were not for his selfishness. But again I was surprised to learn that Mattie had lived. She lived and Frome is tortured instead by the fact that Mattie has lost her girlish and lively appeal and has become just like his wife. She is sickly and bitter about her circumstances and Frome, despite being allowed to keep her as he wished, does not find the happiness he was so sure he would have if he could only keep Mattie for himself.

In the end, nobody is happy. The Frome’s and Mattie are poor, either crippled or ill, and suffer from what seems to be a constant state of depression and bitterness. Even death did not save them from their circumstances, which is why I believe that this is the most depressing story that we have read for class thus far.