Edith WhartonKate Chopin

American Lit. II Paper 2 2-17-2K The main characters depicted in both Edith Wharton's Ethan Frome and Kate Chopin's The Awakening undergo a personal struggle in their attempt to deal with the universal emotion of love. Ethan Frome and Edna Pontellier each are married, but in love with another person. During the time in which the stories take place it is socially unacceptable for them to divorce or have an affair; and both characters …

…his will to send Mattie away by his sick wife. Although their romantic affairs were secretive, Ethan and Edna each had a relationship with their lover that was visible to their husband or wife. Both were committed to heeding the voice of their heart, but Edna's heart had a multiple personality. Obsession and infatuation plagued both Ethan and Edna, who felt the power of love so strongly that they were unwilling to live without it.