有人說Zeena是個毒婦，我不敢認同。作者在書的前半部確實說了許多Zeena的不是，比如她來Frome家之前自己就有病，挑剔，亂花錢等，我對這些是這樣理解的：首先這些都象是從Ethan眼裏看到的，其次這些不是嚴重的毛病，很多女人都有類似的問題啊。我也是個女人，將心比心，她在確定Ethan和Mattie互相愛慕的那一瞬間所做的一切，我沒有辦法說我不能理解。隻是作為旁觀者，我看到她絲毫不留餘地，把事情做得太決絕了。從自殺事故發生後Zeena的所作所為推斷，我相信她是後悔自己當時的過激反應的，並且一直在用行動贖還自己的過失。如果她當時想到了這兩個人會走這一步險棋，我想她一定不會那麽草率地攆走Mattie的。
出事的時候，Mattie隻有二十歲，幾乎還是個孩子。她的所作所為，都屬人類正常思維和行動。雖然遇到困難就往絕路上走實在是不可取，可她是帶著美好的夢想去飛蛾撲火的，一個人有選擇生死的權利，因此我不能要求她對大家的命運負責。
倒是Ethan, 前怕狼後怕虎的，一遇事就敢做不敢當，實在是叫人忍不住要哀其不幸，怒其不爭。Ethan向Zeena求婚，是在他母親去世之後，當時他孤苦無依，比他大七歲的Zeena，多少替代了母親的角色。之後他們遠走高飛計劃失利，他又怨這事兒全怪Zeena高不成低不就。至於Zeena生病後他看她一天比一天更不順眼，一直到他愛上Mattie, 倒都可以理解，因為他隻是一個食人間煙火的普通男人。可是一個大男人，問題出來了，你倒是勇敢地麵對啊！他又不敢。他為什麽會這樣？真的僅僅隻是由於他的善良嗎？其實不然！這三個人裏，實際上隻有Ethan是個真正的弱者。他精神上是極其依賴自己的老婆Zeena的，如若不然，當年就可以做通Zeena的工作，走出去的。如果那樣，Zeena說不定後來還不至於病成那樣呢！出事之前，Zeena讓Mattie走人的時候，他也沒有站出來反對。後來又在私奔和留下之間躊躇，然後Mattie說自殺，他就答應去死。事情至此，他所能做的、對大家最好的事，就是幹幹脆脆地跟愛的人一起死掉。可是他又猶豫了。。。 可憐的Etahn，他心理還遠不如Mattie強大啊！我後來還認真的設想了Ethan跟Mattie在一起生活的情景：Mattie是在學習速記、做售貨員等都不了了之、無法自立的情況下來才到Frome家的，到這裏以後又連起碼的家務都做不好，如果以後跟著Ethan過窮日子，她行嗎？Ethan到時候會不會覺得生活之所以不幸，還是怪老婆不爭氣？
電影和書看到這裏的時候，我想起了《圍城》裏的方鴻漸 -- 一個好人，但沒什麽用。（方鴻漸還會跟人吵架，還不肯被人隨便捏著玩呢！）我同時又想到了同樣是陷入感情泥沼的Newland Archer. Newland的選擇，未必是對三個人最好的，可是他做出了選擇、堅持了自己的選擇，並且為自己的選擇負責到底。當遺憾不可避免時，接受，還是改變，取一樣。我看電影的時候，並沒有想過要這樣用心地分析其中的每一個人物，當時隻是覺得命運真是殘忍，小人物的生死興衰，全由不得自己。後來讀到網友bmdn的一篇評論文章，由於看到他的解讀跟我的理解相去甚遠，才從頭把故事又過了一遍，並且把小說原文也找來一並讀了。這部電影的故事情節原來是非常忠於原著的。對Ethan的不滿，是我重新思考之後才有的。我們作為無足輕重的小人物活在這個世界上，其實也還是有一點點選擇的。我們不能保證自己的一生不犯錯誤、不出差池，可是如果我們剛強一點兒，當斷則斷，有時候最壞的結局還是可以避免的。
其實，我內心是無限同情Ethan的。準確地說，我理解他的每一縷思緒。換了我，在他的位置，我怕是每一步也都隻會跟他走的一樣。何況他當時還那麽年輕，而事情又都來得那麽突然，他沒有足夠的時間來做冷靜的決定。如果他們不是生活在那樣惡劣艱難的環境裏，如果他們有象Newland一樣的家庭條件，他們就決不會往絕路上走。那樣，即便一步走錯，有何至於滿盤皆輸啊！我原諒了Ethan，實際上，我從來就沒有真的責怪過他。可是我這樣的婦人之仁，於他們的命運何補！
Someone - bmdn, to be specific - thought that Zeena was one of the evillest among the fictional female figures. I couldn't agree to such saying in the first place. With that in mind, however, when I read the book, I tried to catch even the slightest traces of her bad behavior that could add up to qualify her as one. However, when I finished the whole book, all I could say about Zeena was: I consider myself as a very kind person, but mostly I wouldn't have been able to do any better than her if I had been put in her position. She hadn't had any problem living her own life at the time she moved in to help caring for Ethan's sick mother. After the crash, as a sick person herself, she stood up and took the responsibility of caring for Mattie. I agree that she was too mad and a little inconsiderate when she decided to kick Mattie out. But as a seriously ill woman, at that point, what did she possess to keep her man? And other than a hu*****and, what could she have to rely upon for the rest of her life? Is it really fair to blame a little woman for her resolute action in getting rid of a homewrecker, especially in Zeena's situation? Zeena was neither a perfect nor an impeccable person, but to me, what she had done in the thirty something years living in the Frome household simply showed that she was kinder and more tolerant than most women, and stronger and more decisive than the majority of men. (她是個有擔當的人)
Everything Mattie did was natural for a twenty year old girl. It was natural for her to fall in love with Ethan, and natural for her to choose to die when there seemed to be no way out for love and and for the life she dreamed. Though suicide should never be encouraged, a decision to live or to die, in some certain circumstances, is random. Plus, she had the freedom to opt for ending her life, in hope of a dreamy, romantic and warm last moment.
Of the three, Ethan was the only one who could have lead their destiny to a brighter direction. He didn't try (hard enough maybe?) to convince Zeena to leave the farm in the first place when she became seesaw about the moving plan. And when Zeena demanded Mattie to leave, he didn't even spoke up. Then when Mattie proposed to kill themselves, which obviously was against his own will, I accepted. Were all these accidental? Was it purely out of his good nature? I doubt it! No one can deny that he was a good person -- kind hearted, considerate, diligent, caring, loving, you name it. But being a good person is far from enough, especially at times of crisis. Kindness is in general a good quality. But when kindness is applied at places where it is least required, it could do harm to or even ruin people's life. We should not always let our kindness (and pride, in Ethan's case) overtake them. Ethan was not mature enough, and emotionally he was terribly dependent, first upon Zeena, then Mattie when Zeena was out of sight. He had been used to do things he didn't really want to do, and then it was inevitable that he could only do them half-heartedly. And that was the fundamental cause of his misfortune. Since he had somewhat blamed Zeena on their staying at the farm and struggling there, I have been wondering what he would have thought of Mattie if they had successfully run away. Mattie failed to learn stenography and failed being a store clerk before coming to Starkfield. She didn't even look like the kind of material for a good housewife. Life must have been tough for them if they had lived 'happily' ever after. Would Ethan have blamed Mattie for that if life had been again unsatisfying after they were together?
While reviewing Ethan Frome, I recalled Fang Hongjian, a 'good, but useless man' in Fortress Besieged. However, even Fang had a stronger personality than Ethan, for he fought at times to not allow others take control of his own life. I also thought of Newland Archer, who too was once trapped between the woman he wanted and the one he was engaged to. Newland made a choice, and stuck to it full-heartedly all his life long without looking back. And that made the difference. If Ethan had made a conscious decision and stood firm to it at any one of the key turns, the life of the three of them would have been totally different.
I am not really blaming Ethan for anything. I have never really blamed him. If I were him, I am sure I would have made exactly the same move at each step. He was young when things happened, and they happened so abruptly that he wasn't given the time to think thoroughly before he had to react. As a matter of fact, their struggling living condition was what played the key role in their fate. If Ethan had been in Newland's financial situation, even if he had taken the same moves, life mustn't have ended up so unbearbly miserable for them. Writing this piece of text is tough for me, especially when I have to go through their life and think about it the second time, trying to express my thoughts in English. How cruel and unfair life is to those who are struggling in the bottom of the society! But my understanding and sympathy to them obviously would do no good to their life. The only one who could have made a difference was Ethan himself. Had he made a choice - it doesn't matter what he chose - and stuck to it, the turnout (?) would have been much more acceptable. To me, only being decisive would have saved them.
Link to the first part of the writing: http://bbs.wenxuecity.com/mysj/159677.html
