The ride on the sled does not kill Ethan and Mattie, but rather renders them incapable of desire (or acting on it0, and even changes the dynamic of their relationship so significantly that desire can longer be a part of it.
Conclusion
The idea that desire leads to destruction is not new. But it is refreshed in The Great Gatsby and Ethan Frome, where Fitzgerald and Wharton show desire not only leading to destruction, but having no intrinsic value of its own along the way. In these novels, desire is not actually the double-edged sword of pleasure and destruction that it is often seen to be. The allure of desire fools many characters into...
Passion and Constraint in Ethan Frome Passion and constraint are the primary motivators in a tragic love story, accentuating the lust for the forbidden, the futility in achieving that which is desired, and the tragedy of the outcome. Ethan Frome, by Edith Wharton, is a tragic love story that incorporates the theme of passion and constraint, drawing the reader in as an accountable subject. The title character in Ethan Frome is
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