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Essay / Research Paper Abstract
This is a 3 page paper that provides an overview of "duty" in "Ethan Frome". Other works such as "The Scarlet Letter" and the works of Do-Ho Suh are cited to provide illumination of the theme. Bibliography lists 5 sources.
Page Count:
3 pages (~225 words per page)
File: KW60_KFlit035.doc
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Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
of various attachments that he has formed to the characters there, most notably his wife Zeena. The conflict that occurs in the story is all situated in this context, and
comes from the inner conflict between Fromes desires, and his sense of duty and responsibility. As such, the concept of duty that is illustrated in "Ethan Frome" is different from
the usual glorification of duty that might be seen in other texts, or reside in popular opinion. Indeed, the idea of "duty" put forth in Whartons work is a rather
grim one. This is appropriate as, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, the word "duty" contains no inherent value judgment, but rather refers only to "a moral or legal
obligation" in a strictly objective sense ("duty", def. 1). One may revel in ones duty, such as in the case of a young naively optimistic soldier, eager to defend his
homeland (like, for instance, the soldiers in "Alls Quiet on the Western Front"). Conversely, one might find ones duty grim, but nevertheless compelling. This is certainly the case with Ethan
Frome. In the readers first introduction to Frome, one of the first facts one learns about the character is that he was forced to abandon his studies in physics and
engineering in order to carry out the duty of returning to his home in Starkfield to care for his dying father. Little is said about Fromes relationship with his father,
but much is said about the joy he had taken in his studies; indeed, much of the rest of the novel will be concerned with his resentment over being separated
from a life of academic achievement and learning (Wharton 2010). Once he returns to Starkfield on duty to his parents, Frome never leaves again, becoming married to Zeena, and entering
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