For a society and government to succeed, true emotions and feelings must be expressed at essential moments. Manipulation is constantly used around the world in areas such as film advertising. They act as unfair persuaders into making a certain decision or feeling a certain way. However, without manipulation, it would therefore be impossible to convey some serious points. In Ethan Frome, Edith Wharton emphasizes manipulation, through the main characters, as a key form of communication necessary to express true emotions and desires. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Ethan Frome, the protagonist, struggles to convey his emotions on most topics, especially Mattie. To find out what Mattie is thinking, she approaches the situation with cunning and slightly sinister intentions. After returning from the night dance, he states “you would have found me right away if I hadn't come back to have the last reel with Denis,” he said awkwardly” (Wharton 23). Ethan is attempting to discover Mattie's true emotions by appealing to his feelings towards her. Although he is in love with her, he plays it as innocently as possible, acting indifferently towards the situation, in an attempt to bring out his inner feelings towards her. Wharton points out that without the ability to manipulate emotions we would be much more reserved due to people's inability to express their inner desires to others. Although generally balanced, Ethan is also a victim of manipulation. However, it is the result of his actions and pessimistic thoughts. we never got away, how should you?" seemed to be written on every gravestone” (Wharton 10). Ethan is so caught up in Starkfield's negativity that he has convinced himself that these gravestones condemn him to remain with them until the day he dies . While unrealistic, these gravestones provide insight into Ethan's true feelings and how little he believes in his ability to escape this environment. Additionally, Wharton conveys to readers the harsh reality of self-manipulation and how latent emotions can surface and greatly influence one's perspective and perceptions in various manifestations. The main manipulator comes from Ethan's wife. Although Ethan is a master manipulator, Zeena is the embodiment of manipulation. She constantly lives her life manipulating people to get the reactions and outcomes that benefit her the most, "The doctor says it will be the death of me if I keep toiling like I've had to. He doesn't understand how I've held out this long." (Wharton 75) Zeena constantly attempts to use her health as a tool to influence Ethan's actions. Although she does minimal work, she talks as if she is shouldering most of the workload when in reality Ethan is doing all the work. Wharton shows how one can be easily manipulated into feeling guilty by stating a fact, even if the logic behind it is not entirely true. Zeena also uses manipulation to convey her opinions indirectly but effectively. Although she is generally calm, Zeena is quite observant of her surroundings and things that happen. As Ethan got ready, he says, “I guess you're always late, now you shave every morning” (Wharton 26). To convey the necessary emotions to Ethan, Zeena manipulates him by suggesting that even if he is late, he still has time to shave. Wharton uses it to show the effect of a well-worded sentence on the recipient's emotions. Although not direct, these manipulations are constantly.