Ethan Frome

Edith Wharton specialized in depicting the internal struggles of people trapped in relationships or social constraints and yearning to break free without knowing how.

Her stories critique the society of the very rich and comment upon the overwhelming materialism and hypocrisy of it while generally avoiding the pedantic or rote judgment of any of the characters.

Ethan Frome tells the story of a man whose commitment to his marriage is challenged by a visiting cousin.