How Gerigus Argument Portrays Disability (Essay Sample)

How Gerigus Argument Portrays Disability

I found Gerigus's argument to be particularly insightful because it helped me to understand the cultural biases that were at play in the reception of Ethan Frome. I also found it interesting to see how our understanding of disability has changed over time. I think that today, we would be more likely to see Ethan Frome as a victim of his circumstances rather than as a monster or an example of degeneracy.​ I learned from her argument that the way people react to disability in a novel can say a lot about the person's own cultural biases. I also think that the novel would be received differently today than it was in 1911. I agree with Gerigus that the cultural context in which Ethan Frome was written and received played a large role in how the characters were interpreted.
I think that our understanding of disability has changed significantly since the early twentieth century, and this is reflected in how we read Ethan Frome today. This change in perspective is due, in part, to the fact that we are now more aware of the social barriers that disabled people face. In the past, people with disabilities were often seen as less than human and were treated accordingly. Today, we know that people with disabilities are just as capable and deserving of love and respect as anyone else. ​ I think people are more accepting of difference now and would not be as unsettled by the novella. ​I think people would be more open to the idea of disability and would see it as less of a taboo topic. 
This shift in attitude has led to a more sympathetic reading of Ethan Frome. Critics have noted that although the narrator's tone is sometimes harsh, he seems to understand and even empathize with Ethan Frome (Geriguis, 2015). Furthermore, the narrator's final commentary suggests that he has come to sympathize with Mrs. Hale as well. Furthermore, the narrator's final commentary suggests that he has come to sympathize with Mrs. Hale as well. This understanding may be due to the fact that, as a woman, she has experienced much of the same oppression and hardship as Ethan Frome.