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“Well, matters ain't gone any too well with him,” Harmon said. “When a man's been setting round like a hulk for twenty years or more, seeing things that want doing, it eats inter him, and he loses his grit. That Frome farm was always 'bout as bare's a milkpan when the cat's been round; and you know what one of them old water-mills is wuth nowadays. When Ethan could sweat over 'em both from sunup to dark he kinder choked a living out of 'em; but his folks ate up most everything, even then, and I don't see how he makes out now. Fust his father got a kick, out haying, and went soft in the brain, and gave away money like Bible texts afore he died. Then his mother got queer and dragged along for years as weak as a baby; and his wife Zeena, she's always been the greatest hand at doctoring in the county. Sickness and trouble: that's what Ethan's had his plate full up with, ever since the very first helping.”

The next morning, when I looked out, I saw the hollow-backed bay between the Varnum spruces, and Ethan Frome, throwing back his worn bearskin, made room for me in the sleigh at his side. After that, for a week, he drove me over every morning to Corbury Flats, and on my return in the afternoon met me again and carried me back through the icy night to Starkfield. The distance each way was barely three miles, but the old bay's pace was slow, and even with firm snow under the runners we were nearly an hour on the way. Ethan Frome drove in silence, the reins loosely held in his left hand, his brown seamed profile, under the helmet-like peak of the cap, relieved against the banks of snow like the bronze image of a hero. He never turned his face to mine, or answered, except in monosyllables, the questions I put, or such slight pleasantries as I ventured. He seemed a part of the mute melancholy landscape, an incarnation of its frozen woe, with all that was warm and sentient in him fast bound below the surface; but there was nothing unfriendly in his silence. I simply felt that he lived in a depth of moral isolation too remote for casual access, and I had the sense that his loneliness was not merely the result of his personal plight, tragic as I guessed that to be, but had in it, as Harmon Gow had hinted, the profound accumulated cold of many Starkfield winters. (Wharton 15 and 16)

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1. Wharton uses situations to describe Ethan as well as direct adjectives.
2. Uses simile on multiple occasions.
3. Starts off as first person narration
4. Alliteration used in the beginning of the second paragraph.
Importance:
The way the author uses to describe the main character is by using a situation to show how he acts and what his personality is like. As the narrator states that he is silent throughout the ride other than answering questions in short sentences he doesn't talk much. He's not being rude he is just a quiet man who doesn't communicate well.

In the first paragraph the author uses the simile "When a man's been setting round like a hulk for twenty years or more, seeing things that want doing, it eats inter him, and he loses his grit." he is using it to describe Frome's habits around the house and how things don't get done and it makes him unhappy.

The story essentially starts in the first person narration as I think who will eventually be Mattie. This is important because it is describing their relationship before it even starts and how it started pretty much.

Alliteration was used in the beginning of the second paragraph to describe the horse that pulls the buggy or wagon for say.

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“I guess we'll never let you go, Matt,” he whispered, as though even the dead, lovers once, must conspire with him to keep her; and brushing by the graves, he thought: “We'll always go on living here together, and some day she'll lie there beside me.”

He let the vision possess him as they climbed the hill to the house. He was never so happy with her as when he abandoned himself to these dreams. Half-way up the slope Mattie stumbled against some unseen obstruction and clutched his sleeve to steady herself. The wave of warmth that went through him was like the prolongation of his vision. For the first time he stole his arm about her, and she did not resist. They walked on as if they were floating on a summer stream. (Wharton 33)

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1. Ethan is in his own head envisioning his future with Mattie.
2. Allusion to his dreams and what they contain and how they make him feel.
3. Simile at the end of paragraph 2
4. The narration of the story switches from first to 3rd person.
Importance:
Ethan is currently married to Zena who is sick and grumpy individual at home and makes Ethan very unhappy. Since Zena has been sick they brought a help girl in who is also Zena's cousin. Ethan has fallen in love with Mattie the new help and gets happy at the thoughts of even being around Mattie or with her and can't wait to sleep with her and lay next to her.

Ethan uses allusion to go to his dreams and talk about when he is happy with Mattie and its okay to be with her in his dreams and how that's when he is happiest.

When they were together and touched and it seemed okay and they were so happy it seemed like a hot summer day by a stream, care free and happy.

The story goes from 1st person narration by the characters to 3rd person and a narrator not a character. This is important because it changes the dynamic of the story throughout the story and can be kind of confusing to understand at times.

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“I didn't need to have anybody tell me I was losing ground every day. Everybody but you could see it. And everybody in Bettsbridge knows about Dr. Buck. He has his office in Worcester, and comes over once a fortnight to Shadd's Falls and Bettsbridge for consultations. Eliza Spears was wasting away with kidney trouble before she went to him, and now she's up and around, and singing in the choir.”

“Well, I'm glad of that. You must do just what he tells you,” Ethan answered sympathetically.

She was still looking at him. “I mean to,” she said. He was struck by a new note in her voice. It was neither whining nor reproachful, but drily resolute.

“What does he want you should do?” he asked, with a mounting vision of fresh expenses.

“He wants I should have a hired girl. He says I oughtn't to have to do a single thing around the house.”

“A hired girl?” Ethan stood transfixed.

“Yes. And Aunt Martha found me one right off. Everybody said I was lucky to get a girl to come away out here, and I agreed to give her a dollar extry to make sure. She'll be over to-morrow afternoon.”

Wrath and dismay contended in Ethan. He had foreseen an immediate demand for money, but not a permanent drain on his scant resources. He no longer believed what Zeena had told him of the supposed seriousness of her state: he saw in her expedition to Bettsbridge only a plot hatched between herself and her Pierce relations to foist on him the cost of a servant; and for the moment wrath predominated. (Wharton 64 and 65)

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1. There is a large conflict that has to be faced by Ethan.
2. Lots of dialogue
3. Old style talking
4. In the last paragraph Ethan talks about the predicament that he is in.
Importance:
Ethan and Zeena have obviously had their ups and downs and now Zeena basically wants to get rid of Mattie (I think in her collective data that her and Ethan have a thing) and get a new hired girl to help around the house and Zeena already ordered one without the consent of Ethan, basically causing the departure of Mattie, Ethan's love.

2 and 3 can kind of go together. There is a lot of dialogue between Ethan and Zeena and it is explaining the conflict of the chapter. In the text there is older style English used, for what I think to help depict the time that the story takes place in.

Ethan obviously doesn't want Mattie to go and is trying to get her to stay obviously. But with a hired girl they are going to be hurting for money more than they already were. Ethan doesn't think that her illness is that serious and doesn't want a hired girl but Zeena thinks she is and what she says goes.

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On the threshold he turned back to say to Ethan: “What time'll I come round for Mattie?”

Ethan was standing near the window, mechanically filling his pipe while he watched Mattie move to and fro. He answered: “You needn't come round; I'm going to drive her over myself.”

He saw the rise of the colour in Mattie's averted cheek, and the quick lifting of Zeena's head.

“I want you should stay here this afternoon, Ethan,” his wife said. “Jotham can drive Mattie over.”

Mattie flung an imploring glance at him, but he repeated curtly: “I'm going to drive her over myself.”

Zeena continued in the same even tone: “I wanted you should stay and fix up that stove in Mattie's room afore the girl gets here. It ain't been drawing right for nigh on a month now.”

Ethan's voice rose indignantly. “If it was good enough for Mattie I guess it's good enough for a hired girl.”

“That girl that's coming told me she was used to a house where they had a furnace,” Zeena persisted with the same monotonous mildness.

“She'd better ha' stayed there then,” he flung back at her; and turning to Mattie he added in a hard voice: “You be ready by three, Matt; I've got business at Corbury.” (Wharton 83)

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1. Lots of dialogue
2. Ethan is low key trying to get Matt to stay a little before this passage.
3. Conflict of Mattie
4. The tone is kind of tense and stressful
Importance:
There is more dialogue between a group basically. Jotham is just chilling wanting to know if he is taking Mattie and when. Ethan and Zeena are in an argument about if Jotham is taking her and when and Ethan is also trying to get Matt to stay but is struggling because new girl.

Ethan wants Mattie to stay. Not only because he is in love but because of money. Earlier Matt said she would do what she was asked but was never given anything to do so she didn't do much. She was willing to learn but never given a chance because Zeena caught on to their little affair.

The tone at this time in the story is kind of intense and stressful. Ethan and Zeena are having a lot of disagreements and conflict of situation and what is going to happen and Ethan is getting very stern with her, kind of laying down the law to Zeena. This is important because you can see him like turning on Zeena to be with Mattie.

This is a little out of order, but Ethan really wants Mattie to stay, obviously but Zeena just isn't having it. Throughout the dialogue there is a lot of big adjectives being used to describe the situation and how one another feels and is looking or talking to each other at the time. Mattie has been the center of conflict for awhile and Zeena is finally catching on and getting sick of it.