Ethan Frome is an unfortunate man who is restrained by his poor life choices, so Ethan’s tragic story is caused by his lack of fulfillment. The love Ethan develops for Mattie is his attempt to break free from the restraints that have held him back from achieving fulfillment. When Ethan’s attempt begins to become impossible without inevitable consequences, he is “seized with the despairing sense of his helplessness” (Wharton 97). The cause of his helplessness is rooted in the symbolism that surrounds the town of Starkfield. Starkfield embodies dark imagery, and it represents the constraints that one gives to oneself and that society gives to a person. As Ethan tries to escape Starkfield mentally and physically, he finds himself more trapped