Essay, Research Paper

English 11

April 12, 1999

The Use of Tragedy and Symbolism in Edith Wharton? s Writing

Edith Wharton uses symbolism and the many facets of calamity of human life as major elements of her authorship. She uses different signifiers of calamity in her authorship. Marriage, society, and other elements all contribute to a subject of imprisonment. Symbolism besides creates a temper of letdown in much of her work.

Edith Wharton uses many facets of calamity in her authorship. Imprisonment and parturiency are merely two ways that calamity is portrayed in her Hagiographas ( Walton 63 ) . Society is a major signifier of imprisonment. In many of her novels, society is what limits her characters to a universe of lost hopes and dreams. Wharton often describes upper-class life to be lonely and acrimonious ( Fracasso 44 ) . Edmund Wilson wrote, ? She combines with outrage against a specific stage of American society a general sense of grim day of reckoning for human existences, ? ( Howe 17 ) . Society wholly controls the characters in The House of Mirth. It is a novel about the victims of rival categories that were non strong plenty to play the game as it should be played ( Howe 35 ) . The game should be played approximately and without clemency. It is unaccepted for a individual to drop out of society. One must digest and smile decently till the game is over ( Howe 38 ) . ? Old New York? is shown as a topographic point of treachery and failure. Lily Bart has no money ; hence, she is confined to a life of failure ( Unger 312 ) . Money is what makes or breaks people in society. Edith Wharton tries to demo through Lily that society has

power to destruct those even with character ( McDowell 52 ) . It is dry that a universe that could do Lily Bart so beautiful could besides do her life so limited.

In The Custom of the Country, Undine Spragg does non hold the societal background to populate as she wants to populate. She uses sex to counterbalance for her deficiency of wealth, appeal, instruction, and societal background ( Auchincloss 105 ) . Undine is besides divorced which

makes her looked down upon in high society. In Ethan Frome, poorness controls Ethan? s life. It restricts him to a life of limited possibilities ( Springer 10 ) . However, non all of Edith Wharton? s novels are given the attitude that society is restrictive. The Fruit of the Tree proves this statement.

Another signifier of imprisonment in Edith Wharton? s novels is the vow of matrimony. In several novels, one character must take duty for another, restricting this individual? s ability ( McDowell 64 ) . This is really evident in Ethan Frome. In most of her novels the characters are happy in the beginning. However, they find themselves trapped in a state of affairs that is his or her mistake. Thomas Hardy? s Jude the Obscure and Wharton? s Ethan Frome are really similar. Both major characters give up school to assist with their female parents. Both major characters are imprisoned in matrimonies that occur out of despair and solitariness, and both major characters meet better adult females that they can non hold ( Springer 43 ) . Grace Kellogg said this about relationships based on despair:

The inability of worlds to accomplish autonomy thrusts them to seek

relationships with other people, and these relationships needfully compromise

their freedom by subjecting them to the hurting of a desire either excessively great or excessively

little. ( 16 )

However, in The House of Mirth Lily Bart refuses a matrimony proposal to stay free ( Walton 56 ) . Lily does non fall victim to the stage? excessively tardily? as many other characters

make ( Fracasso 21 ) . Many characters marry for security, societal place, or money. They do non get married for the right ground? love. When a individual is involved in a matrimony for the incorrect grounds, it can sometimes be best described as a prison. In Glimpses of the Moon, Susy must digest? a long period of probation? to keep her matrimony together ( Kellogg 266 ) . Mrs. Welland in The Age of Innocence has to happen her fulfilment in being a slave to her hubby ( Auchincloss 128 ) . Some characters go to great lengths to do themselves happy, even if it means anguish to their partner. Tarrant, in The God? s Arrive, enjoys tormenting his married woman by non allowing her a divorce ( Auchincloss 175 ) . Edith Wharton uses the beats of the bosom to let the readers know the emotions of the characters. If the bosom beats quickly, it means he is happy ; if the bosom beats faster than normal, it represents security ; and when the bosom drops and contracts, it shows intuition ( Frasso 17 ) . This is really helpful in finding the tempers of the characters.

Edith Wharton? s vision of life was one of agony ( Lewis 67 ) . All of her novels exhibit some signifier of enduring that at least one of the characters must fight with. Edith Wharton believed that whatever the bosom desires brings with it a price-and frequently a big monetary value ( Howe 18 ) . In The Fruit of the Tree Bessie Amhurst falls from her Equus caballus and receives an incurable back hurt. She suffers from a life of torment ( Unger 315 ) . Ethan and Mattie are besides condemned to a life of torment. These characters must populate in a life that reminds them of what they could hold had. Undine holds the universe responsible for her letdown. She knows nil and believes in nil ( Auchincloss 105 ) .

All of Edith Wharton? s verse forms have the same tone- depressing ( Unger 310 ) . ? A Bottle of Perrier? is a narrative of hatred and slaying in an African desert where an

Englishman lives in his alone palace with retainers and his pantryman ( Unger 316 ) . In Bunner Sisters Wharton? s subject is? the ironically tragic effect of unselfish behaviour, ? ( McDowell 71 ) . Edith Wharton one time wrote, ? Life, is non a affair of abstract rules, but a sequence of pathetic via medias with destiny, of grants to old traditions, old beliefs, old calamities, old failures, ? ( Howe 17 ) .

Much of Wharton? s composing involves descriptions of a prison. She uses phrases such as Fe door and barrier of brick

and howitzer ( Fracasso 2 ) . Ethan Frome is a perfect illustration of a novel that alludes to the prison scene. Edith Wharton one time said this about the novel ( Springer 46 ) : ? The exorable fact closed in on him like prison- warders hand- whomping a inmate. There was no manner out. He was a captive for life, and now his one beam of visible radiation was to be extinguished. ? Zeena and Mattie are described as two witch-like adult females that hold Ethan captive for life in his cheerless universe. Ethan is bound to a life that does non fulfill him. He must now depend on Zeena when one time it was he that cared for her. Ethan Frome was written on the thought that worlds were prone to a life of loss, calamity, desperation, and parturiency ( Springer 5 ) . This fresh encompasses all of these elements and takes us to a deep topographic point in our psyche. Ethan Frome stirs up emotions in people that have ne’er been touched until reading this novel. Edith Wharton stated, ? A good topic must incorporate in itself something that sheds a visible radiation on our moral experience ( Fracasso 69 ) . ? This book decidedly sheds visible radiation on the issue of being true to one? s ego. If Ethan had gone to college alternatively of impairing Zeena out of solitariness, he might hold had the chance for some type of felicity. His matrimony condemned him to a life of wretchedness and sorrow. Mattie offers Ethan another opportunity at felicity ; nevertheless, Zeena finds a manner to claim her belongings and acquire rid of Mattie.

Zeena? s program merely partly works. Ethan is reclaimed, but Mattie ends up populating with them as a changeless reminder to Ethan of what his life could hold been.

Symbolism plays a major portion in much of Wharton? s authorship. Through the usage of symbolism, we are given intimations about the narrative. Early in Ethan Frome we are told that the big elm tree is unsafe and should cut down. Two other people were about killed by hitting it while sleighing ( Springer 82 ) . Trees are used to stand for more than merely danger. Trees of summer are shown as mocking. They are changeless reminders of the good times in the past. Trees of the winter are spruces. Spruces are used to supply shelter for Mattie and Ethan who must conceal their love ( Springer 84 ) . Trees are normally used as outstanding intents ; nevertheless, trees in Ethan Frome destroy the lives of Ethan and Mattie ( Springer 82 ) .

Winter being used as the primary season for the scene of Ethan Frome is dry. Winter is used by many writers to picture decease and wretchedness. Ethan Frome does merely that. The full novel is centered on Ethan? s agony. If the novel had taken topographic point in spring or summer, Ethan and Mattie would hold lived merrily of all time after. However, this is non the instance. The narrative was destined to hold a tragic stoping. In order for the novel to hold a tragic stoping, it must be set in the winter. All of Ethan? s memories include snow. However, the small part of the novel that is set in the summer describes good times. Wharton connects Ethan? s and Mattie? s summer felicity with butterflies in the forests. When Ethan tells Mattie that she must travel, her ciliums? crush his cheek like lacy butterflies ( Springer 84 ) . ? The butterflies are used to demo freedom. Zeena, by doing Mattie leave, is the 1 that netted the free and happy butterflies. Wharton used Ethan Frome to exemplify winter- life on clasp. The direct antonym was Summer- life in its comprehensiveness. Wharton called these two novels literary twins ( Kellogg 221 ) . One

novel is about the joys of life while the other is about the wretchedness of life.

In all of Wharton? s work males fail their adult females, unless they are father figures ( Springer 21 ) . Ethan fails Mattie by non giving her the life that she wanted. Tarrant fails his married woman and so refuses to give her a divorce. Ethan is besides epic, but he can non interrupt away from his confined life ( Springer 30 ) .

Ethan is characterized by Edith Wharton? s life. He was created to typify the strivings and grief that Wharton was traveling through ( Springer 41 ) . Wharton knew what it was like being involved in an disappointing matrimony, and she used this in Ethan Frome. Ethan and the storyteller? s universe is a universe of blunting emotional unresponsiveness, of cold, of stark, all- consuming isolation ( Springer 79 ) . Starkfield is a community in which all of its dwellers are isolated. Stark in Starkfield means loneliness and isolation. Finally, Mattie becomes acrimonious toward Ethan and Zeena. When this happens, the personalities of Zeena and Mattie are switched. Mattie goes from being sweet, beautiful, and lively to going bitter and indifferent. Zeena was one time a hypochondriac, necessitating attention full- clip. She was the covetous, genitive, and pecking one. Now she takes attention of Ethan and Mattie. She has become giving and sweet, but there is still a small spot of Satan in her.

The usage of visible radiation and dark allude to what state of affairss will develop because of a character? s moral determinations ( Fracasso 78 ) . Moral determinations, along with the grasp of life through art and symbolism of the supernatural, are features of Wharton? s subsequently work ( Lovett 9 ) . Moral determinations of a character will find what type of personality the character possesses and they will find the future success of the character

In Ethan Frome, many mercenary things possess a different significance.

The ruddy pickle- dish, when used by Mattie, symbolizes life, heat, and security. When used by Zeena, it represents distance and enviousness ( Springer 90 ) . The cat is used to stand for Zeena. Whenever Ethan and Mattie are entirely, the cat ever creates a recreation ( Springer 89 ) . The? L? of a house serves as the bosom of a place. It protects the residents from the cold and the snow. The? L? has been removed from Ethan? s house. Ethan has lost his protection ( Springer 83 ) .

In decision, the calamity of human life and all the utilizations of symbolism make Edith Wharton? s Hagiographas unique and particular. She combines these two elements and creates extraordinary work. Her novels provide emotional drives every bit good as a expression into a individual? s psyche. Edith Wharton is genuinely a fantastic adult female.