There are certain aspects of literature which separate the good from the bad, making certain works endure the years and others fade into obscurity.  Aspects of an enduring work include its universal relevance, its awareness of the value of life and the entire influence or affect of the novel.  Edith Wharton's Ethan Frome is an example of an enduring work of the above qualifications.
	The universal relevance, or truth, of this novella is displayed in the validity of its themes.   These themes include forbidden love and entrapment.  Forbidden love is, for its part, one of the most ancient themes in literature.  Readers from any era would recognize this plight so often written about.  In Ethan Frome, the forbidden love is between Ethan and his wife's cousin, Mattie.  Readers are drawn into the dilemma, sympathizing with the strong emotions they both feel, while understanding what prevents them from being happy together.  Ethan's duty to his wife, whom he chose and married, leaves no escape, elaborating the other theme of entrapment.  Few people would fail to comprehend the reasons behind the conflict.  Because of a human mistake, that of Ethan choosing to marry Zeena rather than be left alone, he must not only suffer the sting of her constant company, but he must forsake his love for Mattie, who also suffers as a result.  The emotions caused by the dilemma are familiar to most everyone, and have certainly existed in every generation of man, since the dawning of time.
	The value of a work also depends greatly upon its treatment of life.  It is important for every work, even the most morbid, to show that life is of value.  Even as shown in the theme of desperation and despair with which the climax of the story deals, life is most clearly shown as precious.  Rather than be forever separated from Mattie, Ethan agrees to commit suicide with her.  The despair the couple feel at this point draws forth the reader's pity, allowing him to glimpse the extreme happiness that other circumstances might have brought.  The contrast of the situations, happiness in life, and misery in life, give the reader a full sense of life's potential value.  The reader is compelled to hold his own life and the lives of others in great awe.  As Ethan and Mattie so desperately cast their own aside, an awareness of the deep emotions of life's pleasure's and pains comes over one.
	The overall effect of a novel is of course vital to its endurance.  Ethan's plight leaves a strong impression on any who reads it that careless decisions make for much misery.  It is a theme as profound as those of Shakespeare and Sophoclese.  As the novel closes on an inescapable scene of depressing import, all feel a sense of caution steal over them.
	So it is that Ethan Frome has thus far survived, and will probably continue to be a widely read and respected work.  The themes contained in the novel are and always will be relevant, and easily understood.   Even in the sadness with which this novel is permeated, life is shown to be a worthwhile concept.
