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*Spoilers, proceed with caution*. This very sad tale Ethan Frome is an account of the life of Zenobia Frome, ‘Zeena�. She was named after the great Roman queen who led a revolt against the empire - somewhat like Princess Leia.

Zeena had sacrificed her life to the man she loved, Ethan Frome. However, he repaid her by having a secret love affair with Zeena’s pennyless and lazy cousin, Matty, to whom Zeena had given a home. She was pretty, and knew when to flutter her eyelashes.

But poor Zeena was quite homely. They made fun of her, for she had false teeth, and looked much older than her 35 years. This was a direct result of caring for the sick and not taking care of herself. True, it made her a little queer, sort of a hypochondriac � a sad condition caused by anxiety.

When Zeena was in extreme pain, and had to go on an overnight trip to see a doctor, these two ungrateful persons could hardly wait to see her go, so they could act out their little fantasy. While playing a shameless game of ‘house�, they destroyed the one possession that Zeena valued, a lovely red pickle dish. This dish was a wedding gift, and to Zeena, it was the symbol of her love for Ethan. She cried when she found the broken pieces, while the two calloused lovers laughed about the ‘cat� breaking it.

Now, it should be understood that Zeena had found a potential husband for Matty, a decent hardworking businessman, albeit somewhat socially awkward guy named Denis Eady. But Matty was having none of it. She was too good for him.

Thus Zeena knew the only way to save her marriage was to send Matty away. Ethan hated Zeena’s guts for this, and wanted to run away with Matty. That could not happen. They had no money.

On the way to the train station, they decided to have one last little fling - sledding! There was a famous sledding hill nearby, conveniently with a large elm tree at the bottom. Their first run down the hill was so much fun that Matty knew she could not live without Ethan. She slyly suggested to him that they commit suicide together, by crashing into the tree. At first he thought she had gone completely nuts, but then he remembered Zeena`s false teeth and, yeah, realized it was for the best. It is no surprise that this plan went very wrong. They both ended up crippled, and Zeena, a woman of character and principle, took care of them both for the rest of their lives.