Sex
... Ethan has to make a choice whether or not to propose marriage to Zeena. Ethan struggles with this choice and is hesitant. The book quotes, “He struggled for the all-expressive words” (20). This illustrates that Ethan is somewhat incapable of making decisions because he is mentally weak. His anxiety about being alone during the cold, harsh winter helps him overcome his fear of marriage. Ethan was, “Seized with an unreasoning dread of being left alone on the farm; and before he knew what he was doing he had asked her to stay there with him” (29). I think that Ethan married Zeena for the wrong reason. He did not truly love Zeena; he only wanted a companion during the lonely months of winter. Perhaps a more important choice Ethan has to make later in the story is the decision to leave Zeena and run away with her cousin, Mattie. Mattie is currently living with Ethan and Zeena. Ethan is growing more and more comfortable having Mattie around, almost to the point where he forgets about his wife, Zeena. The novella states that, while talking to Mattie, “Ethan, had felt himself on the brink of eloquence; but the mention of Zeena had paralyzed him” (34). This quotation proves once again that Ethan is overcome by Mattie’s presence. Choosing between Zeena and Mattie is a difficult decisi...