Ethan Frome · Chapter
V explained
Ethan and Mattie share a quiet evening alone after supper, talking easily about everyday matters.
What happens
Ethan and Mattie share a quiet evening alone after supper, talking easily about everyday matters. Their intimacy grows as they sit together, but the presence of Zeena's empty rocking chair and the cat's movements remind Ethan of the impending reality of Zeena's return. The evening ends with a sense of loss and unfulfilled longing.
Themes in this chapter
Isolation and Entrapment
Ethan's dreamlike evening with Mattie is contrasted by the inescapable reality of Zeena's return, symbolizing his entrapment in a loveless marriage.
Duty vs. Desire
Ethan's longing for Mattie clashes with his duty to Zeena, as seen in his hesitation and the spectral rocking of Zeena's chair.
Silence and Repression
The unspoken tension between Ethan and Mattie, their constrained conversation, and the lack of physical touch highlight repressed emotions.
Characters to notice
- Ethan Frome
Ethan experiences a dreamlike evening with Mattie, feeling warmth and harmony, but is haunted by the thought of Zeena's return.
- Mattie Silver
Mattie sews by the lamp, talks with Ethan, and shows awareness of Zeena's potential disapproval, yet shares a tender moment with Ethan.
- Zeena Frome
Zeena is absent but her presence looms over the evening through her empty rocking chair and the mention of her return.
- Puss
The cat observes the couple, jumps into Zeena's chair, and later causes the chair to rock, reminding Ethan of reality.
Key passages
“The scene was just as he had dreamed of it that morning. He sat down, drew his pipe from his pocket and stretched his feet to the glow. His hard day’s work in the keen air made him feel at once lazy and light of mood, and he had a confused sense of being in another world, where all was warmth and harmony and time could bring no change.”
The evening matched Ethan's morning fantasy: he relaxed by the stove, feeling lazy and light after his hard work, as if in a perfect, timeless world.
Ethan's illusion of a perfect evening is shattered by the reality of Zeena's impending return.
“As his lips rested on it he felt it glide slowly from beneath them, and saw that Mattie had risen and was silently rolling up her work.”
When Ethan kissed the fabric she was sewing, Mattie quietly pulled it away and began to roll it up, signaling the end of their intimate moment.
Mattie's withdrawal marks the end of their closeness and the return to reality.