In the prologue, Wharton sets the frame for the main story. The prologue (and epilogue) take place some twenty years after the events of the main story and are written in the first person. The Narrator (who is nameless) tells about how he pieced together the story of Ethan Frome from personal observation and from fragments of the story told to him by townspeople. The prologue not only introduces The Narrator, but also describes Starkfield and the winter setting, inhabitants of Starkfield, and provokes curiosity about the tragedy experienced by Ethan Frome.
According to The Narrator, Ethan constitutes the remains of a once powerful and sensitive man, now bound and frustrated by the crippling effects of a sledding accident. Even though Ethan is only fifty-two years old, he looks as though he is "dead and in hell." Wharton builds suspense when she reveals that The Narrator is also intrigued by the look of incredible suffering and despair that he sees in an unguarded moment on Ethan's face. Wharton provokes curiosity about the tragedy that has robbed Ethan of his life.
Wharton provides minimal information about Ethan. Harmon Gow shares the sad history of the deaths of Ethan's parents and of Zeena's sicknesses, and he adds the comment that "most of the smart ones get away," implying that Ethan was smart, but unfortunately was unable to leave Starkfield.
