Ethan Frome and Things Fall Apart are set in two radically different settings, with each plot relying heavily on the setting of the novel to tell its story. The framework of a story is a broad term and can contain several levels. Although each story does not rely on the same elements of the setting, each draws on different areas in order to convey its message to the audience. The historical period, location, and season all factor into these two stories and make them what they are. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Ethan Frome used the winter season as a major symbol throughout the novel. Without the harshness of winter, Edith Wharton would not be able to tell the same tragic story. The narrator describes Ethan Frome as a very lonely man, which he says "was not simply the result of his personal circumstances, as tragic as I imagined them to be, but contained, as Harmon Gow had implied , the deep accumulated cold of many individuals.” Starkfield winters” (Wharton 10). The stifling cold seems to emotionally suppress not only the main character, but the entire town of Starkfield. Throughout the novel, readers do not get a glimpse of the warmer months, as winter seems to take control of their lives and acts as a force holding them back. The bitterness of this cold could not be explained if the novel took place in another setting. Specifically, the month of February has a significant impact on the novel. February is the month in which Ethan and Mattie's sledding accident occurred, a tragic end to their love story (Wharton 94). February is usually the last brutal month of winter, which means spring is just around the corner. This symbolizes how tragic their suicide was. They had lost all hope in the bitterness of winter, and could not stick around to feel that feeling of hope. The town of Starkfield itself, although imaginary, was incredibly important in expressing the lack of hope in this story. It seems Starkfield is a place where people can't escape, no matter how much they want to. This place seems oppressive, with the narrator saying that Ethan "seemed to be part of the mute, melancholy landscape, an embodiment of his frozen unhappiness, with all that was warm and sensitive in him quickly bound beneath the surface" (Wharton 10). The people of Starkfield seemed to have taken everything that was bright and vibrant about them and pushed it away, leaving only bitterness and cold. They seem to live in monotony all year round. Although Starkfield is not a real location, it is very important to the setting because it sets the tone for the entire story. On the other hand, it is in Springfield that Zeena obtains her medicine, which illustrates how far the inhabitants of Starkfield are from spring - a symbol of dynamism and hope. (Wharton 63). This helps readers understand the significant difference between the two cities, one full of despair and the other full of hope. Most never seem to be able to escape Starkfield to escape their own tragedies. Things Fall Apart, on the other hand, relies on a more general time period to convey the importance of its story. The novel takes place in Nigeria around 1900, at the time of European colonization. The story of Okonkwo and the Igbo people could not be told at any other time due to the direct impact of westernization on their lives. Christian missionaries were responsible for much of the downfall of the Igbo people. As Okonkwo said: "He put a knife to the things that.