et shade and gave a milky whiteness to the curve above her brows” (Wharton 59). As Ethan watches Mattie dance, he notices her “painted lips,” “cloud of dark hair” and “dark eyes” (Wharton 21). Mattie is being described as stunningly attractive, a temptation for Ethan, reminding the reader of her immoral behavior; surely if she was a moral woman, she would not try to seduce Ethan the way she does when she wears make-up. Further examples of Mattie’s seductive behavior include the use of color imagery by Wharton and her flirtatious body language towards Ethan. Red, the traditional color associated with seduction, surrounds Mattie. When Ethan watches Mattie dance at the social, he notes her “cherry colored fascinator” (Wharton 21). The pickle dish is red, and the night of the pickle dish incident, Mattie has “run a streak of crimson ribbon” through her hair (Wharton 59). This use of color imagery causes the reader to associate Mattie with infidelity. When Ethan and Mattie actually begin expressing their feelings for one another, she is usually the catalyst. She does things to attract attention to herself from Ethan- “She let her lids slide slowly, the way he loved” (Wharton 46). When Ethan finally gets the nerve to touch the sewing Mattie is working on, she “lingers for a moment” before pulling away (Wharton 60). When the two kiss for the first time, Mattie is practically begging for it- she asks breathlessly “Is this where Ned and Ruth kissed?” (Wharton 80). Ethan was unable to control himself; he was married to an ugly cruel heartless woman and this beautiful, cruel, heartless woman was seducing him. Besides her seductive nature, Mattie is incompetent both physically and mentally. When Ethan and Mattie are watching the sun set one night, she remarks “it looks just as if it was painted!” (Wharton 24). Appar...
