Now that you’ve listed some important elements in the story, pick a topic from Ethan Frome. Write an essay of approximately four or five paragraphs detailing how the topic relates to your understanding of the novel as a whole. Here are some suggested topics, but you may choose your own: Explore the idea of communication among the characters in the novel. What theme does Wharton attempt to convey through their communication?
What does the pickle dish seem to symbolize in the novel?
What type of tragic hero does Ethan Frome represent? Explore the differences between a classic tragic hero and a more modern tragic hero.
Read more about writing argumentative essays and some general guidelines for writing an essay.

Optional Peer Review
Before submitting this assignment, it may be helpful to have another person read your essay. Identify two or three specific things to look for when reviewing your work. This may include correct spelling and punctuation, or whether your ideas were clearly presented and supported with evidence from the text.

Read the excerpt from cristina garcia’s dreaming in cuban.i don’t really want to talk about my father but i end up telling minnie how he used to take me horseback riding on our ranch, strapping me in his saddle with a leather seat belt he designed just for me. dad’s family owned casinos in cuba, and had one of the largest ranches on the island. there were beef cattle and dairy cows, horses, pigs, goats, and lambs. dad fed them molasses to fatten them, and gave the chickens corn and sorghum until they laid vermilion eggs, rich with vitamins. he took me on an overnight inspection once. we camped out under a sapodilla tree and listened to the pygmy owls with their old women’s voices. my father knew i understood more than i could say. he told me stories about cuba after columbus came. he said that the spaniards wiped out more indians with smallpox than with muskets.how does the structure of the excerpt add meaning to the passage? it includes historical information about the spaniards and indians to indicate the work is nonfiction.it describes the setting of the ranch owned by pilar’s cuban grandparents to explain family values.it uses several narrators to share their points of view about past and present life in cuba.it manipulates the chronological order of events to reveal the close relationship between pilar and her father.