How we cite our quotes: Citations follow this format: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
Even then he was the most striking figure in Starkfield, though he was but the ruin of a man. (Prologue.36)
For a man to be a ruin, he must have been something great before, right? Right away the narrator sees that Ethan was a man with promise, and that somewhere along the way that promise was lost.
Quote #2
"Guess he's been in Starkfield too many winters. Most of the smart ones get away." (Prologue.9)
Starkfield is always shown as a trap, a place to either escape from or get stuck in. The place is certainly a fertile breeding ground for hopes and dreams, but it also seems to have a super-glue quality to it.
Quote #3
"Somebody had to stay and care for the folks. There warn't ever anybody but Ethan. Fust his father-then his mother-then his wife." (Prologue.11)
This is a big part of what makes Ethan a tragic hero. He couldn't abandon anyone in pain, and as a result he hurts himself and everyone else around him. This kind of loyalty interferes with all his dreams.
Quote #4
I had great hopes of getting from her the missing facts of Ethan Frome's story, or rather such a key to his character as should co-ordinate the facts I knew. (Prologue.20)
Unlike Ethan, the narrator's hopes do come true. He manages to find the "clue" he was looking for, although we never learn what it is. The narrator also realizes his dream of being able to put together the other man's story.
Quote #5
[…] not long afterward he had reached the point of wishing that Starkfield might give all its nights to revelry […] (1.9)
If Starkfield has dances or parties going on, then Ethan can go into town and walk Mattie home. He's finally found a way to tolerate life in Starkfield. Unfortunately, he doesn't plan for what might happen when Zeena gets wise to his newfound happiness.
Quote #6
"I wouldn't ever have it said that I stood in the way of a poor girl like Mattie marrying a smart fellow like Denis Eady," Zeena answered in a tone of plaintive self-effacement. (1.20)
Ethan and Mattie may not be doing much planning, but Zeena certainly is. Marrying Mattie off would solve Zeena's problem and remove the girl as a threat.
Quote #7
"Would you like to come in and coast with them some night?" he asked. (2.28)
Ethan and Mattie are planning to come in and do a little sledding with the other couples. Their plan seems to be to spend more and more time together and continue building their relationship, while living with Zeena.
Quote #8
"I guess we'll never let you go, Matt," he whispered, as though even the dead, lovers once, must conspire with him to keep her […]. (2.55)
Ethan seems pretty creepy when he says and thinks things like that. Is he so hopeless that he can't even imagine a life where he and Mattie could be together?
Quote #9
A slight engineering job in Florida, put in his way during his period of study at Worcester, increased his faith in his ability as well as his eagerness to see the world; and he felt sure that, with a "smart" wife like Zeena, it would not be long before he had made himself a place in it. (4.77)
This moment shows that Zeena was part of Ethan's plan, but she removed herself. Later moments reveal that he thinks this a deliberate act on her part to keep him from his dreams. What do you think?