Ethan Frome
Quote
"'Yes, there she’s been,’ Mrs. Hale continued, ‘and Zeena’s done for her, and done for Ethan, as good as she could. It was a miracle, considering how sick she was-- but she seemed to be raised right up just when the call came to her. Not as she’s ever given up doctoring, and she’s had sick spells right along; but she’s had the strength given her to care for those two for over twenty years, and before the accident came she thought she couldn’t even care for herself.’ [. . .] ‘And they ain't any of ‘em easy people either. Mattie was, before the accident; I never knew a sweeter nature. But she’s suffered too much-- that’s what I always say when folks tell me how she’s soured'"(Wharton 179).
In the end of Ethan Frome, Zeena demonstrates unmeasurable mercy toward Ethan and Mattie. She takes them both in, despite her own seekness and their unmistakable treachery. This quote also expresses the change that suffering has on an individual. That people sour not because they would like to, but instead because of their experiences and circumstance. Therefore, it is requisite that we, as onlookers, never make conclusions from arbitrary observations.
In the end of Ethan Frome, Zeena demonstrates unmeasurable mercy toward Ethan and Mattie. She takes them both in, despite her own seekness and their unmistakable treachery. This quote also expresses the change that suffering has on an individual. That people sour not because they would like to, but instead because of their experiences and circumstance. Therefore, it is requisite that we, as onlookers, never make conclusions from arbitrary observations.