Paralysis Essay. Edith Wharton's Ethan Frome was published during 1911. Zeena's cousin Maddie Silver, made a new spark in Ethan Frome's life by caring and loving him,
Erica Qiao
Period 4
IBENG 11
12/15/11
Escaping Paralyzed Money
Edith Wharton's Ethan Frome was published during 1911. Zeena's cousin Maddie Silver, made a new spark in Ethan Frome's life by caring and loving him, Ethan started want to leave his wife Zeena Frome. At last, they loved each other so much that Maddie got paralyzed and Ethan can barley walk. James Joyce’s Dubliners was published after Edith Wharton's Ethan Frome, 1914, the first short story was The Sisters. The young boy's friend Father Flynn had three strokes and finally died. This made the young boy felt free and paralyzed. Paralysis is a impairment of voluntary in a body part. Everyone needs something to live with, other then people would think that life was just a waste of time. Escaping from something, does not mean the outside is ugly, the inside always reflects out the outside part. Something always can make you feel paralyzed, it maybe the thing that you just wanted or it maybe just yourself.
Everyone in life may seemed to be crushed by unforeseen circumstances and the realization of poverty this may also be paralysis. Money has always been a problem for Ethan and Zeena throughout their life.
"Why, you told me yesterday you'd fixed it up with him to pay cash down. You said that was why couldn't drive me over to Flats. Ethan had no suppleness in deceiving. He had never before been convicted of a lie, and all the resources of evasion failed him. "I guess that was a misunderstanding," he stammered."(99/21-27)
Ethan lied to his wife Zeena, because of he wants time with Maddie. Then when Zeena did not receive the money that Ethan told her than he will get, he told her she may misunderstood. Ethan is using the money to push Zeena away, at here Zeena is being paralyzed because she easily believed Ethan's lie. Some could argue it was the deciding factor in their relationship. If Ethan had money when he was studying to become an engineer, after his mother died he could have just left to pursue that goal. He wouldn't have felt inclined to stay with Zeena; instead he didn't have much of a choice. Money played a key role in their relationship as well. Without money Zeena or Ethan couldn't really be happy, also she couldn't get the proper treatment for her sickness; further, they wouldn't have had to be confined to the dull listless life of Starkfield. When his mother became ill; however, he had to return home from Florida to take care of her. Ethan never had much money, and he had to use his expenses he was going to use to go to Florida to keep both his parents well. Zeena and Ethan probably would have had a normal, happy life together, if not for the lack of steady financial income. A life in Starkfield is not necessarily a desired one. When Zeena got sick she became controlling and a burden to Ethan. They just stopped communicating with each other. Both were inevitably frustrated about their predicament, yet neither had the will in those times to get a divorce and simply move away; that was not even an option. When Mattie came about there was a new spark in Ethan's life. With help around the house it perhaps made it much easier for Ethan to get more lumber efficiently, thus increasing the income. Although, Ethan become too enthralled with Mattie at one point and forgot to get the money for the lumber to instead spend time with Mattie. This made Zeena very upset. The line was drawn when a priceless pickle dish was broken and Mattie was thrown out, for obvious relationship constricting reasons. While Ethan was dropping off Mattie he proposed a plan to move out west with her and start a new life. They just might have done that, had they money for travel, shelter, and food. Money seemed to make every character paralyzed in Ethan Frome.In normal life we think paralysis as a physically noun describing a person cannot be used or cannot make a movement because of a injury or damage. In Ethan Frome, money made everyone paralyzed, without money Ethan and Maddie used the power of love to do the smash-up, which ended by Maddie being paralyzed and Ethan walking with a broken leg and letting Zeena's mind be also paralyzed by Ethan's reaction. Ethan is paralyzed, money is paralyzed, the snow is paralyzed, everything is rotting in Starkfield.
