The main characters in Ethan Frome feel trapped by fate. Which of these factors is not part of the plot of the book? Ethan realizes that if his mother had died in a season other than winter, he might not have married Zeena. The "Spanish" flu epidemic reduced the population of Starkfield dramatically. The resentments that Zeena and her relations have toward Mattie are partially due to her father having lost a lot of the family's money in a failed business venture.