One significant theme of the novel is the affect of
isolation and loneliness on a person. This theme creates the a significant number of
events in the novel. It is suggested that Ethan only proposed to Zeena because he was
afraid to face a long winter alone in house after his mother died. Because this is a
rather loveless marriage from the start, it doesn't have much reason to grow into
anything more. When Ethan gets to know Mattie he sees how isolated he is even in his
marriage and he starts to imagine how much better his life might be in a new place and
with a new woman. Mattie too is an example of isolation. Her family is all dead and
she arrives at the Frome's to help Zeena and because she has no where else to go. When
Zeena sends her away at the end of the story she is terrified at the thought of being
utterly alone in the world and suggests suicide as means to end it. She knows that she
can never have Ethan, and that they can never be together any other way, so this seems
like the only option.
Another significant theme that
affects the story is society/social obligation. Ethan makes all of his choices in the
novel based on what society tells him is the right and moral thing to do. He returns
from school to care for his ailing mother; he marries Zeena because it is what young men
should do; he stays with her because he took a vow; he doesn't take the money from the
Hales because it is dishonest; he doesn't leave with Mattie because he would be leaving
Zeena with no viable means to support herself; he cares for Mattie until the end because
he is ultimately responsible for her injuries as a result of the sledding "accident."
Ethan could have been a lot happier if he hadn't been so moral and conscious of
society's expectations.
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