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Yes. Ethan Frome is very sympathetic towards Ethan and Mattie but much less so towards Zeena. Though this story is not told by Ethan Frome himself but instead told to the reader by a man passing through town, it is told from Ethan's perspective. Therefore it makes sense that if the story is told from Ethan's perspective it will more than likely be more sympathetic to that character. Readers develop a sympathy towards Ethan because of his failed attempts to leave Starkfield, his longing to be with Mattie, his marriage to a bitter and sickly woman, the "smash up" with Mattie, and his life with Mattie and Zeena in the end. Because of Ethan Frome's theme of Naturalism, the reader is meant to see the main characters (especially Ethan) as victims of their own circumstances.

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15y ago

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