Ethan Frome/Painted Door
Just contrast – but here is how
Thesis Statement
• You must name both themes. (you don’t
necessarily say “the theme is…. The theme
is…)
• You must show the contrast. (juxtaposition!)
• You must have the significance of the theme
to modern readers
For example…
• Ethan Frome’s dreary core message of painful
redemption following life’s understandable
mistakes contrasts with the shockingly
passionate escapades of “The Painted Door”,
revealing the necessary truth to modern
readers that impulsive decisions end in
ultimate tragedy.
OR
• Since Ethan Frome intimates that following
one’s individual passion instead of society’s
mandates will end in dismal calamity, the
contrasting view from “The Painted Door”
that misbehavior is inevitable, nay almost
expected, gives the modern reader a twisted
justification for impropriety.
Okay, now here is the hard part….
• We have worked a bit on sentence structures
and how they convey meaning and we will be
working a bit on diction.
• You will have to find IN THE LANGUAGE of the
story support for your ideas.
It might look like this…
• Ann’s tacit permission to succumb to Steven is
provided by the snow, mirrored by Sinclair
Ross’ use of consonance allowing the reader
to hear the snow: “…isolated in the fastness
of silence and storm..” (142).
OR
• The narrator of Ethan Frome must portray the
story as valid in order for the modern reader to
adhere to its message. Wharton makes sure the
reader believes the narrative by using balanced
rhetorical sentence types when describing the
storytellers: “Her mind was as store-house of
innocuous anecdote and any question about her
acquaintances brought forth a volume of detail;
but on the subject of Ethan Frome I found her
unexpectedly reticent” (7).
More Specifically…
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A 5 paragraph CONTRAST essay
A sophisticated thesis statement
Paragraph Transitions
At least 2 quotes from Ethan Frome and 2 from “The Painted Door”
– that is 4 total.
Elaboration in the form of scenario, anecdote, detailed
imagery/description, etc.
Correct citations: If you mention the book and author in the
introduction, all you need is the page number after the quotes. The
short story needs to be named and the citations are (author’s last
name, pg).
Book Titles are UNDERLINED OR ITALICIZED.
Short Story Titles are in QUOTATION MARKS