In five pages the tragic hero status and role of the protagonist are explored in this five page paper. There ar no other sources listed in the bibliography.
Name of Research Paper File: RT13_SA133EFR.rtf
Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
as a tragic hero. The reason why he is a tragic hero is discussed in depth. Many quotes from the work are provided. No additional sources cited. SA133EFR.rtf
The character Ethan Frome, to some, is a tragic hero. Indeed, at first glance, it does appear that Edith Wharton took great pains to paint Ethan as a
tragic hero, and juxtaposed some other characters in the work-such as Zeena-- to render him less evil. Still, there is evil that seems to lurk beneath the fa?ade that the
author so gently paints on this pathetic character some seem to love. Most however, will feel disdain for Ethan, a character who has a sense of commitment, but no backbone.
In embarking on this topic, the definition of "tragic hero" becomes important. What is a tragic hero? One definition of the concept
"tragic hero" is a character whose basic goodness and superiority is marred by a tragic flaw such as pride, weakness or poor judgment and this is what leads to the
heros downfall. This is quite a different definition from how other authors see it, but it is also a very intriguing thought. It means that anyone is capable of killing
for example. In any event, in using this definition, it seems more likely that indeed, Ethan Frome is a tragic hero. In the work, Ethan is not of an
elite class. That is far from the case. In order for Ethan-who a reader would expect little of-to be a hero, one must find some goodness to contrast the bad.
Ethan Frome begins: " The Village lay under two feet of snow, with drifts at the windy corners" (Wharton PG). From the beginning,