Ethan Frome Playlist

These songs all follow a theme or message that was displayed in Edith Wharton’s Ethan Frome

1) Isolation by John Lennon- In the beginning of the book the theme of isolation is made apparent. With the town named Starkfield and a winter that separates the town from the rest of the world, isolation is a major theme of the beginning of the book. Lyrics here

2) All Around Me by Flyleaf- This song serves two purposes. It can either be for how Ethan is highly aware of Mattie’s presence and wants to be around her as much as possible. It’s also what I imagine what Mattie is always thinking about. How she wants Ethan but knows she can’t have him because of Zeena. Lyrics here

3) A Daydream Away by All Time Low- Throughout the novel, Mattie is always right there in front of Ethan, but he can only dream about being with her. He knows that to be with her, he has to think or dream about it, because it would never happen. Lyrics here

4) Ghosts by Mayday Parade- In the book, Mattie lives in the room across the hall from Ethan. Many of nights he spends watching the light from her room creep under his door and wonder what she is doing. She’s like a ghost in his house. The idea of being with her is always haunting him. Lyrics dayparade/ghosts.html”>here

5) Collar Full by Panic! At The Disco- When Zeena leaves or the doctor, Ethan wishes that he could finally be with Mattie. He wants her love, but the little he gets is not enough for him. Ethan has a “collar full of chemistry” from her company and wants to show her how he feels. Lyrics here

6) Lips of an Angel by Hinder- While Zeena visits the doctor, Mattie and Ethan have a chance to be alone. And while they never truly do anything wrong, what they think about doing is enough for them to realise that they want to be together. When Zeena gets back, they do there best at ignoring their feeling in front of Zeena. Lyrics here

7) Living In A Dream by Arc Angels- Towards the end, Ethan begins to think about leaving Zeena and taking Mattie with him out west. He believes he could leave Zeena enough to sell and make money for herself. After beginning to write a note to Zeena, Ethan realizes that he couldn’t do that to her. He is only living in a dream of what could be. Lyrics here

8) Bleeding Out by Imagine Draagons- In the end, Mattie convinces Ethan to try killing themselves by sledding into a tree because she does not want to live without Ethan. He eventually agrees because he would do anything for her. Even attempt suicide. Lyrics here