Chapter VI Practice Quiz — Ethan Frome
by Edith Wharton — tap or click to flip
Practice Quiz: Chapter VI
What emotion does Ethan feel at breakfast the morning after his evening alone with Mattie?
He feels irrationally happy, even though nothing has outwardly changed in his life or hers.
How does Ethan behave at breakfast to conceal his feelings from Jotham Powell?
He adopts an air of exaggerated indifference, lounging back in his chair, tossing scraps to the cat, and refusing to help Mattie clear the dishes.
What is Ethan’s plan for the day, and how does it relate to the broken pickle dish?
He plans to send Jotham to fetch Zeena from the Flats while he delivers lumber to the village and buys glue to repair the dish before Zeena returns.
What series of mishaps delays Ethan from reaching the village?
One of the grey horses slips on ice and cuts its knee, sleety rain makes the tree trunks slippery and doubles the loading time, and the dinner hour passes before the job is done.
Where does Ethan finally find the glue he needs?
At the widow Homan’s shop, where she hunts down a solitary bottle hidden among cough lozenges and corset laces.
What does Mattie tell Ethan when he arrives home with the glue?
She whispers, "Oh, Ethan—Zeena’s come," revealing that Zeena has already returned and gone directly up to her room.
What does Ethan want to say to Mattie when they are briefly alone in the kitchen, and what does he actually say?
He wants to say "We shall never be alone again like this," but instead tells her he’ll be home for dinner.
Why does Ethan invite Jotham Powell to stay for supper after Zeena returns?
He wants Jotham’s "neutralising presence" at the table because Zeena is always nervous after a journey and he fears confrontation.
How does Jotham respond to Ethan’s supper invitation, and why is it significant?
Jotham stolidly refuses with "I guess I’ll go along back," which is unusual for a man who rarely turns down a free meal, signaling something ominous happened on his drive with Zeena.
What is the widow Homan’s parting remark to Ethan, and why is it ironic?
She says "I hope Zeena ain’t broken anything she sets store by." It is ironic because Zeena’s most treasured possession, the pickle dish, is already broken.
How does Chapter VI illustrate the theme of fate versus human agency?
Every practical plan Ethan makes is defeated by forces beyond his control—ice, sleet, an injured horse, absent shopkeepers—demonstrating the futility of human will against environment and circumstance.
What does the motif of concealment represent in this chapter?
Ethan hides his joy at breakfast, plans to secretly mend the pickle dish, whispers with Mattie, and promises to fix the dish at night—all reflecting his desperate effort to maintain appearances and avoid confrontation.
How does the chapter’s closing scene relate to the theme of illusion versus reality?
The final scene mirrors the previous evening’s warmth (same lamp, fire, cat, and words from Mattie), but the illusion of domestic happiness is shattered by Zeena’s silent presence upstairs.
What does Ethan’s frantic quest for glue symbolize on a larger level?
It symbolizes his desperate attempt to paste together the facade of his marriage and hide the emotional breakage that the evening with Mattie has caused.
Identify the pathetic fallacy in Chapter VI.
The sleet, icy roads, and steady rain externalize the characters’ emotional deterioration and mirror Ethan’s growing anxiety and helplessness.
What simile describes Mattie’s hair as she washes dishes, and what does it suggest?
Her steam-curled hair is compared to "tendrils on the traveller’s joy," a climbing vine whose name evokes the wandering freedom Ethan desires.
What is the effect of the simile "pale as culprits" when Ethan and Mattie learn Zeena has returned?
It frames their innocent attachment in the language of crime and guilt, foreshadowing the consequences they will face and the moral weight placed on their unspoken feelings.
What does it mean when Ethan gives the horses "the most perfunctory ministrations"?
He tends to the horses in the most hasty, careless, and superficial manner possible, rushing through his duties to get inside the house.
What does "conviviality" mean in the context of the young men at Eady’s store?
It means friendly socializing and festive company. The young men offer Ethan cheerful companionship, but he is too anxious to accept.
Who says "Oh, Ethan—Zeena’s come" and in what manner?
Mattie says it in a whisper while clutching Ethan’s sleeve, conveying both her fear and the shared understanding that Zeena’s early return threatens them.
What is the significance of Mattie repeating "I guess it’s about time for supper" at the end of the chapter?
It is the same line she spoke the previous evening. The repetition highlights how the same words now carry dread instead of warmth, showing how quickly circumstances have changed.