Alienation, Loss and Despair: An Analysis of Modernist Strains in Ethan Frome

Abstract

This paper looks at Ethan Wharton’s haunting novella Ethan Frome from the lens of modernism. The alienation and sense of loss were very keenly felt at the turn of the century and writers emulated them. Wharton’s story explores the themes of social institutions, marriage in this case, as being suffocating, as well as issues like coping with the dizzying pace of technological advancement and skilled labor and the matter of women’s place in this new world where she has to suddenly rely on her own skills and adapt quickly. The paper also finds that Wharton’s writing itself, the form it took, is indicative of its modernist background which includes the use of the unreliable narrator. Modernist symbolism are found in the shape of the train, a mode of transportation synonymous with change.

Keywords: modernism, Ethan Frome, Edith Wharton, alienation,