How Ethan Portrays The Symptoms of Depression and SAD (Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton Book Analysis)

📌Category: Books, Literature
📌Words: 805
📌Pages: 3
📌Published: 13 June 2021

While mental illnesses either can harm or make a person better, mental illness still affects a person because according to Gale “8.7% of women are diagnosed with depression & 5.3% of men receive a similar diagnosis”(Gale). The symptoms of depression make you turn into a whole different person and it now controls; how you think, what you do, your perspective on life, or your mentality. For example how Ethan and Zeena make some un reversible decisions from mental illness taking over his whole life. Ethan and Zeena aren’t the normal couple and especially aren’t normal people. In the book Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton, you see how mental health affects the main character, Ethan, and what it does to make him make irrational spur-of-the-moment decisions. 

Mental health, Depression, and SAD affect every person diagnosed in different ways but the symptoms of the illness stay the same. According to Young and Azam SAD or Seasonal Affective Disorder, disorder usually starts in the fall and ends in spring (Young and Azam 1). They say the most common symptoms include fatigue, increased appetite, and weight, and hypersomnia. Jacobsen and Rosenthal say that SAD patients complain of daytime drowsiness, fatigue, and diminished concentration (Jacobsen and Rosenthal et al. 3). Most symptoms are the same however based on the illness you are diagnosed with the symptoms may differ. Mental Illness and Depression are no joking matter and are the 10th leading cause of death in the United States says Gale (Gale).

Ethan loves putting the people he loves in front of him in every aspect of his life. This means since he puts everyone he loves in front of himself he carries the weight of himself and the weight of others on him which results in hurting himself. This in the long run interferes with his whole life and makes his dreams harder to accomplish. Edith Wharton says “Somebody had to say and care for the folks. There wasn't ever anybody but Ethan. Fust his father-then his mother-then his wife” (13). Another reason why the characters in the book Ethan Frome show symptoms of depression is because of the season the book takes place in. Cold, gloomy, and dark winter. The feeling of loneliness and sadness every day with nowhere as to escape. “He had often thought since that it would not have happened if his mother had died in spring instead of winter” (Wharton 59). This quote is explaining how prison-like and feeling of nothing/emptiness is common in wintertime in Starkfield. Which saying Ethan is very eager to escape the “nothingness” and this is why when Zeena came to town Ethan was so quick to marry her so he wouldn't have to be alone anymore especially for another winter alone. The quote is also saying that maybe he would have had more hope in his career if his mother died at a different time of the year. 

Starkfield is such a cemetery during wintertime, lifeless souls walking around surrounded by silence and white everywhere from the fresh powder left behind. “When I had been there a little longer and had seen this phase of crystal clearness followed by long stretches of sunless cold; when the storms of February had pitched their white tents about the devoted village and the wild cavalry of March winds had charged down to their support; I began to understand why Starkfield emerged from its six months’ siege like a starved garrison capitulating without quarter” (Wharton 15). This quote is specifically pointing out how impactful the weather or season is to all of Starkfield. This also points out just how important it truly is to care about your mental health and to take care of yourself first especially if you know you haven't been feeling your best for a while. It's pretty obvious that Ethan shows symptoms of SAD, hypersomnia, and even though he shows symptoms just doesn't care about his overall health, he still wants to take care and put other people first. “There was one day, about a week after the incident when they all thought Mattie couldn’t live. Well, I say it's a pity she did … if she ha’ died,  Ethan might ha’ lived; and the way they are now, I don't see there's much difference between the Fromes up at the farm and the Fromes down in the graveyard; ‘cept that down there they are all quiet, and the women have got to hold their tongues” (130-140). This quote is proclaiming how Mrs. Ruth Hale believes that it would have been better if Mattie had died because life in Starkfield is the same as living in a cemetery; lifeless, gloomy, quiet. Ruth also says the only difference between the dead and living Fromes is the dead don't talk and complain all day.     

Mental Illness is a very serious condition and should not be taken lightly and should be treated with caution and care. Ethan perceives a whole new personality after his father and mother die, the conditions in Starkfield, and many other factors. The un reversible decisions Ethan has made now dictate the rest of his life and now till the day he dies has to think about what he could have done differently. 

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