Course Hero Logo

Ethan Frome | Study Guide

Edith Wharton

Get the eBook on Amazon to study offline.

Buy on Amazon Study Guide
Cite This Study Guide

How to Cite This Study Guide

quotation mark graphic
MLA

Bibliography

Course Hero. "Ethan Frome Study Guide." Course Hero. 27 Oct. 2016. Web. 28 May 2023. <https://www.coursehero.com/lit/Ethan-Frome/>.

In text

(Course Hero)

APA

Bibliography

Course Hero. (2016, October 27). Ethan Frome Study Guide. In Course Hero. Retrieved May 28, 2023, from https://www.coursehero.com/lit/Ethan-Frome/

In text

(Course Hero, 2016)

Chicago

Bibliography

Course Hero. "Ethan Frome Study Guide." October 27, 2016. Accessed May 28, 2023. https://www.coursehero.com/lit/Ethan-Frome/.

Footnote

Course Hero, "Ethan Frome Study Guide," October 27, 2016, accessed May 28, 2023, https://www.coursehero.com/lit/Ethan-Frome/.

Ethan Frome | Chapter Summaries

Share
Share
See Chapter Summaries Chart

Timeline of Events

  • Winter, late 1800s

    Ethan's parents die, and he marries Zeena.

    Prologue
  • 6 years later

    Mattie arrives to care for Zeena; Ethan develops feelings for her.

    Prologue
  • 1 year later

    Ethan picks Mattie up from the dance.

    Chapter 1
  • The next day

    Zeena leaves town to visit a new doctor.

    Chapter 3
  • That evening

    Mattie and Ethan share their "romantic" but awkward dinner.

    Chapter 4
  • The next day

    Zeena fires Mattie and discovers the broken pickle dish.

    Chapter 7
  • The following day

    Ethan considers running away with Mattie.

    Chapter 8
  • That night

    Ethan and Mattie's suicide attempt is botched, critically injuring them.

    Chapter 9
  • 24 years later

    The narrator visits Starkfield and learns Ethan's tragic story.

    Epilogue

Chapter Summaries Chart

Chapter Summary
Prologue During a cold, bleak winter in Starkfield, Massachusetts, an unnamed narrator describes how he came to know Ethan Frome,... Read More
Chapter 1 It is 24 years earlier. Young Ethan Frome (in his late 20s) walks quickly through the falling snow to reach the nearby c... Read More
Chapter 2 As the dancers leave the hall Ethan draws back into the shadows so he can continue watching Mattie unnoticed. He wishes ... Read More
Chapter 3 Ethan and Zeena don't speak a word to each other inside their frigid bedroom. Zeena silently takes her medicine, wraps h... Read More
Chapter 4 As soon as Zeena leaves Ethan rushes to work. He wants to complete the day's chores quickly so he can spend as much time... Read More
Chapter 5 After dinner the pair sits by the fire, just as Ethan imagined. Ethan takes his seat next to Zeena's abandoned rocking c... Read More
Chapter 6 The next morning Ethan feels joyous. He can't explain why he's so happy, but the previous night gives him a clear vision... Read More
Chapter 7 Ethan calls to Zeena upstairs to say dinner is ready, but she doesn't come down. He finds her sitting by the window in t... Read More
Chapter 8 Rather than be with Zeena that evening Ethan retires to his private "office"—a tiny room similar in size to a closet—eve... Read More
Chapter 9 Daniel Byrne, the man Zeena arranged to transport Mattie's belongings to the train station, is waiting at the house by t... Read More
Epilogue The narration returns to present day, with the narrator entering Ethan Frome's house on the night of the snowstorm. He h... Read More
Cite This Study Guide

information icon Have study documents to share about Ethan Frome? Upload them to earn free Course Hero access!