Ethan Frome Lesson Plan

How does watching Mattie dance make Ethan realize how difficult his situation is?

Ethan is married to Zeena and can't confess to his feelings for Mattie, Zeena's cousin. His repressed emotions have few outlets; he begins to shave daily and looks forward to occasionally accompanying Mattie home from the village. When he arrives early to collect Mattie from the dance, he is helpless seeing her dance with Denis Eady. When Denis offers Mattie a ride home, he must wait in silence in the background and allow her to make her own decision, even though the thought of it makes him miserable. As they walk home he tries to gather hints of how she feels about him even though there...