Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton
In-Class Essay Topics
Rohlfs
Prepare for ALL prompts listed below. ONE will be chosen.
4 quoted/documented examples are needed for each prompt! Make sure to connect all arguments.
Make sure to properly document Edith Wharton’s Ethan Frome in your essay, weaving quotes into your analysis.
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Albert Camus, a French writer, claims that hell is other people. Show how the novel illustrates this statement.
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Passive/Aggressive behavior can display itself as learned helplessness, procrastination, stubbornness, resentment
and/or as a defense mechanism. Analyze how/why Zeena Frome fits this description.
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Is Ethan Frome responsible for Mattie Silver’s fate? Analyze why.
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Edith Wharton displays purposeful irony in her development of specific items in the Frome kitchen. Pick three
items that regularly reside in the kitchen area and connect these items to Ethan, Zeena and Mattie – one item per
character.