Free Essays: Oppression in Ethan Frome and Their Eyes Were Watching God :: comparison compare contrast essays

Repression and Oppression in Ethan Frome and Their eye Were Watching God In society, people are oppressed in numerous ways, such as blacks not being able to vote back in the 60s, or women not having as many rights as men. in that location are many social constraints that hold people back from their dreams and desires. The two novels, Ethan Frome, by Edith Wharton and Their Eyes Were Watching God, by Zora Neale Hurston, both accurately portray the causality of social constraints. In each novel the main character struggles with the tremendous impact of social constraints on their lives but their is a great difference in the midst of repression and oppression. In the book Ethan Frome, the main character, Ethan, is oppressed in many different ways. First of all, Ethans wife, Zeena, has become a burden on Ethan psychologically and finacially. Zeena seems to put on a form of paranoia that makes her think she is much sicker than she actually is. This problem has gotten to Etha n at many points in the book. She has also become a finacial burden on Ethan because of her more or less monthy commutes to Bettsbridge, where she sees a doctor about her failing health. In Ethan Frome, Zeena seems to be the one that is always oppressing Ethan. Zeena never lets Ethan do what he wants, when he wants. In the book Their Eyes Were Watching God, Janie is basically oppressed by society and the laws of society. She is oppressed mainly because she is black, but also because she is a woman. In each of her three marriages, Janie is oppressed by her husbands. All of them expect her to do things the way they want them done, and she does not seem to respect this. Janie also is not allowed to strive for her dreams or desires because she is black. In this situation, it seems that it is a faction of societys oppressive laws and the repression of Janies feelings and desires that hold her back from her goals. In Ethan Frome and Their Eyes Were Watching God, each character finds h is or own way to worst their suffering and pain due to the oppression of their desires and dreams. In Ethan Frome towards the end of the story, Ethan wants to drive Mattie into town to the train station so she can go home.