In five pages this essay examines the plot through Ethan's wife Zeena's eyes which reveals her victimizations which rivals that of her husband's. Three sources are cited in the bibliography.
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household as an aid for Zeena, are likeable characters, there is little in the entire story to redeem Zeena. However, the narrative is told entirely from the point of view
of Ethan and other people in the town. Zeenas own perspective is never voiced. Critical analysis has largely adopted this view of Zeenas character. However, a careful look at
the subtle suggestions Wharton places in the story shows a different picture of Zeena, who is, after all, a victim in this tragedy, as well as a victimizer. It
is, after all, Zeenas husband who becomes enthralled with another woman and harbors adulterous feelings. As this analysis will demonstrate, by endeavoring to see Ethan Frome from Zeenas point of
view, it is possible to cast this character into a new and more favorable light, which shows that she is just as much a victim in the story as her
husband, Ethan. First of all, however, it is helpful to see Zeena has she has traditionally been interpreted. From the narrative perspective of others, Zeena definitely appears
to be the villain of the tragedy. She is an aging, whiney hypochondriac, who persistently looks sour and never has a pleasant word for anyone or anything. Critics have largely
adopted this view of Zeena. In fact, Elizabeth Ammons in her 1980 text on Frome, draws parallels between Whartons narrative and the fairy tale of "Snow White," casting Zeena as
the wicked witch (Bellman, 1996). Ferda Asya feels that Ethan Frome is Whartons unconscious dramatization of her true feelings toward her parents. Asya states that from Whartons autobiographies,
it is clear that she adored her father (symbolized by Ethan) and disliked her mother (symbolized by Zeena) (1998, p. 24). In other words, these critics paint Ethan