When the novel was written in 1911, Wharton felt a sense of frustration with the commonality of rural novels, which glorified poverty and the pastoral lifestyle, which she disagreed with. She found this to be a harsh lifestyle that leads to unhappiness. Ethan Frome is a character confined by his poverty as it causes him to spend his life on a farm and limits the change that might have been available to him if he had not been poor. Their poverty-stricken lifestyle is similarly what forces Ethan, Zeena, and Mattie to live together at a point in the novel.
When Ethan Frome was first purchased by the Loyola Library (then the Fourier Library, according to the book’s jacket) America was experiencing its 10th year of the Great Depression after the stock market crash in 1929. The actions of society may have inspired the library’s acquisition of this novel. There is a theme of loss and humanity within the novel, constantly looking back to the good times of the past with the use of literary flashbacks. The world that once thrived was now decomposing. Many Americans viewed their world in this way. They looked back at a time when their country was a land of opportunities, before nearly one-quarter of the nation was unemployed (1).
Further, Ethan Frome is a character with a great deal of potential, but no way to put it into effect. This is also true of Americans in the late 1930’s. As most people argue that the Great Depression ended in the early 1940’s, 1939 is the time in which new ideas were created, but the world wasn’t necessarily ready. He is limited by a society that does not act as an outlet or provide the opportunity for change to occur.
Determinism and naturalism are also present in this novel, which were subjects of high interest during the late nineteenth century (during which this novel is set.) Darwin and Huxley are important figures in this era, and influenced many aspects of society including literature in America. Determinism and naturalism refer to a type of world in which one’s fate is decided at birth, and in which the natural world is not forgiving or redeeming, it merely exists, as do the individuals that have little or no control over it. Darwin’s “Survival of the Fittest” doctrine makes people question whether they were born to survive or born to fail. Nature is the determining factor of fate, which is clearly present in the character of Ethan Frome (2).
In the 1970’s, this edition of Ethan Frome was checked out four times. The 1970’s is a decade marked for the end of the global “hippie” movement. The “hippie” lifestyle is one much like Ethan Frome’s. During this time, America became much less rural and more urban. After the Cold War, many American youths felt the need to shift their lifestyle to one that was less focused on the commercial. While this is exactly what Wharton seems to be advocating against, that is, a rural lifestyle and poverty in general, this book represents a characteristic lifestyle that many “hippies” might find appealing (3).
The 1980’s are marked for their revival of a capitalistic
society and the heightening material trend. It is during this era that tastes
become refined. The financial world and stock market were glamorized once again,
as they were in the early 1920’s, before the Crash. Famous figures of the 1980’s
include men like Donald Trump, implying that it is a time marked by an urban
shift. In this way, America’s shift in culture would cause them to read a book
like Ethan Frome that highlighted the benefits of anything anti-pastoral.
“Reaganomics,” issued by President Ronald Reagan, were steps to be taken to
make America a more profitable and powerful nation. Before this, in the 1970’s,
the United States were in a state of financial inactivity and inflation (4).
It is interesting that the 90’s seem to be the decade during which Ethan Frome was most checked out. There are a number of possibilities responsible for this. The 1990’s are (within the time frame listed here) the decade in which the United States experienced its greatest economic expansion as well as the beginning of a technological reform.
1990 marks the American Recession, which expanded productivity and generally improved the lifestyles of a multitude of Americans. This is a change many Americans had been waiting for, and allowed them to break free of economic confinement—something Ethan Frome’s character wished was possible.
In 1999, the Wall Street Stock Exchange was at its peak. As Ethan Frome is written during the period of the Great Depression, it is significant that it would be checked out most during the era that least resembled its time period. Reading it during the 1990’s would provide a striking contrast to a not-so-distant past.
In 1996, the Welfare Reform Act was put into effect, which severely decreased the level of American poverty. This is relevant to Ethan Frome, as it is a novel that speaks against the restrictions of poverty-stricken lifestyles.
The cultural events of the 1990’s may have also caused Loyola’s Library to acquire the second time-lined edition.
The 2000’s, a decade that has not yet ended, began
with the expectation of widespread economic failure, energy crisis, and war.
It is also associated with the recent economical decrease and 2007’s Recession.
Our present economy is not exactly like, but in many ways resembles, the world
of the 1920’s and 30’s. This shift may have brought readers back to books like
Ethan Frome, as they struggled with the realities of impoverished lifestyles.
Ethan
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About Ethan Frome
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1. Great Depression -." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Web. 09 Dec. 2009. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Depression>.
2. "Ethan Frome
Study Guide : Major Themes | GradeSaver." Study Guides & Essay Editing
| GradeSaver. Web. 09 Dec. 2009.
<http://www.gradesaver.com/ethan-frome/study-guide/major-themes/>.
3. "HIPPIES A
CULTURAL LIFESTYLE...... | NowPublic News Coverage." NowPublic.com | The
News is NowPublic. 12 Mar. 2009. Web. 09 Dec. 2009.
<http://www.nowpublic.com/culture/hippies-cultural-lifestyle>.
4. "1980s -."
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Web. 09 Dec. 2009.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1980s>.