The Age Of Innocence Essay

lthough one may think that residing comfortably near to the top of the Manhattan social pyramid guarantees inclusion, the protagonist of Edith Wharton’s Age Of Innocence, Newland Archer, comes to find himself on the psychological fringe despite his wealth and lofty familial status, isolated by the unique attitudes about life and love he develops after falling for Ellen Olenska. By presenting Newland’s emotional defeat at the end of the novel, despite his conscious attempt to diverge from societal rules, Wharton demonstrates the inescapability of high society and its nature as a hindrance to free thought.

Ellen Olenska portrays the other side of the juxtaposition of women in The Age of Innocence. She is more individualistic than May and her experiences outside of the United States such as her failed marriage in Europe show that Ellen is a woman who is independent. For this reason, Ellen fails to grasp the social code once she enters the society of Old New York. A great example comes at the beginning of the novel when Ellen enters the opera in clothing that is provocative for the event. When Ellen enters the opera in this European-style dress that reveals too much shoulder, she shocks Old New York. “The suggestion of this headdress, which gave her what was then called a "Josephine look," was carried out in the cut of the dark blue velvet gown rather theatrically caught up under her bosom by a girdle with a large old-fashioned clasp. The wearer of this unusual dress, who seemed quite unconscious of the attention it was attracting […]” (6, Wharton). The

The Age of Innocence, written by Edith Wharton in 1920, is a novel about Newland Archer, set in New York in the 1870s. In the beginning of the novel, Newland is engaged to May Welland, however when her cousin Ellen Olenska returns from Europe, he begins to doubt who he really loves. Due to societal norms, Newland stays with May and never consummates his relationship with Ellen, despite their growing feelings towards each other. At the time of writing The Age of Innocence, Wharton was reading Sir James George Frazer’s The Golden Bough (1914), a 14 volume work on anthropology, which consisted of myths, customs, and magical practices. This collection sparked interest for Wharton, potentially inspiring her to enlist many allusions to classical

“I know it was you, Fredo. You broke my heart. You broke my heart.” These eternal words spoken in Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather reflect the importance and prevalence of family allegiances. These allegiances transcend many different cultures, societies and environments. Every society has its own “Fredo”: the social outcast whose decisions make him or her the center of attention in society, and whose family allegiances complicate everything. We can see such a prototype for a character in Countess Olenska, the main character in Edith Wharton’s The Age of Innocence. Countess Olenska is the black sheep of her family because she is considered foreign, and the complicated decisions she faces often

Edith Wharton’s The Age of Innocence, is based primarily around the “Old” New York in the 1870s. She wrote the book around 1920s, in which she includes a love triangle which displays the character’s inability to make a decision. At first, the central character, Newland Archer, is in the midst of announcing his engagement to May when he gets introduced to her cousin Countess Olenska. When he is introduced to the Countess' problems, he views them as an annoyance. However, they prompt him to start looking at his own views and thinking in regards to May’s social set. He starts to view the cosmopolitan Ellen as an alternative to May due to her views and the way she doesn’t fear to say what she feels. His desire and view of Ellen raised many complications that shows innocence as more of an appearance than reality. In The Age of Innocence, Edith Wharton uses metaphors of sight to explore the relationship between innocence and how it appears to the average New Yorker during the Gilded Age.

The Last Days of Innocence talks about the involvement of America in World War 1, when more than five million servicemen took part, and nearly a quarter were wounded or dead. The author documents the alliance among the American, French, and British who plays a significant role in defeating Germany and other Axis nations. Specifically in chapter 23, “Do You Want To Live Forever”, ................. The chapter starts out with the German’s attempt to damage the French morale by turning Paris’ mood of defeat and depression into panic with the German’s new weapons of long range guns that could fire seventy-five miles away. Analysts say that

The Age of Innocence is Edith Wharton’s bestselling novel. Wharton wrote and published The Age of Innocence in 1920 and according to A&E Networks won the Pulitzer Prize in 1921. The Age of Innocence is a novel that can be compared to Wharton in the way of a social life and relationships. The Age of Innocence characters symbolized the people in Edith Wharton’s life.

Edith Wharton wrote The Age of Innocence about life in New York in the 1800’s. Although it seemed like a wonderful place to live, especially those in the upper class, it wasn't perfect at all. Wharton subtly brings to light and criticizes the old New York society that she grew up in throughout her novel. Wharton reveals that old New York society was very critical of people's actions and narrow minded as to what was seen as socially acceptable. All of High New York Society was expected to conform to a predetermined set of social rules that were embraced.

Newland wishes to shorten him and May’s engagement, but continues to secretly see Ellen. Newland loves and wants to marry May because it is socially acceptable, but also desires to run about with Ellen without feeling they are being scrutinized. While walking in the park on a Sunday afternoon with May, Newland is “proud of the glances turned on her”, enjoying that she is envied by others and he has May all to himself (Age of Innocence 70). Newland frequently ponders if he should tell May about his visits to Ellen, but instead, he merely begins to “talk of their own plans” avoiding the subject completely by discussing the long engagement.

Edith Wharton establishes The Age of Innocence through her style, detail of people and society, and through the connection between her and Newland Archer. It is perceived that Wharton is not in any way an author that is known for taking huge leaps or one to be daring. While her writing is comfortable and formal, it does intrigue the reader. “The narrative becomes heavy, and the intricate play and counterplay of the character’s motives can lose all but the most diligent reader.”(Cutler). Wharton has an incredible sense of humor. She mocks rituals while never going too far. As she explains societies traditions, she also mocks them. The way she overly explains the opera in the opening scene, and drawing out character’s descriptions and their part in society. She mocks them by making it almost ludicrous, all

“Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been,” written by Carol oates in 1970, portrays the cultural transition’s impact on teenager’s behavior in 1960’s. The new style of music highly influenced adolescent’s behavior, initiating a revolutionary era. That was a time which culture was rapidly changing. A sexual revolution was taking place, leading people, especially teenagers, to question the traditional and religious believes from previous generations. In addition, World War II had just ended in 1945, driving people to promote peace and love amongst themselves, especially through music for the next few decades. Despite all the peace and love movement, a series of murders began to arise in Tucson, Az. Charles Howard Schmid Jr., a 23-year-old man, brutally murdered numerous girls and made the national headlines. A creepy predator who was Oates inspiration to create the unscrupulous pedophile character of Arnold Friend. Connie is a 15-year-old girl who lives an ordinary life; confused about the girl she is, and the woman she is becoming. Being a teenager is not an easy thing overall, for any girl, in any era. Furthermore, she lives in a fast-paced, transitional phase in America; a phase which rock and roll is considered, “the devil’s tool,” to most parents; rock and roll lyrics began to be more explicit and provocative, hence, leading the young generation to break the traditional rules of a conventional era.

Societal norms and expectations are being reexamined more now than they ever have before; questions that many would never have dared to say (and some would not know to think about) are being debated and considered. Society still influences a major part of daily life, but it used to have almost complete control over others’ actions and views. In Edith Wharton’s The Age of Innocence, a restrictive society works to maintain the same traditions, and put its next generation into the exact roles as those who came before them.

“As he entered the box his eyes met Miss Welland’s, and he saw that she had instantly understood his motive, though the family dignity which both considered so high a virtue would not permit her to tell him so. The persons of their world lived in an atmosphere of faint implications and pale delicacies, and the fact that he and she understood each other without a word seemed to the young man to bring them nearer than any explanation would have done.” (Wharton 16) This statement vividly illustrates the power of the unsaid within New York society during the 1870’s, the time in which The Age of Innocence was set. At that time, there existed a powerful set of rules, regulations, and codes pertaining to

The Age of Innocence, written by Edith Wharton, is about the upper-class society of New York City in the 1870’s. The novel follows the life of an upper-class lawyer named Newland Archer. He is going to wed May Welland, who comes from another upper-class family. As the novel progresses Newland starts to become intrigued with May’s cousin, the poor Ellen Olenska. Ellen is called “poor” because she is shameful in the eyes of the society that surrounds her. Ellen left her husband and moved back to New York City to be with her family. Divorce is not acceptable in the 1870’s high society like it is today. Newland tries at first to protect Ellen from the bad reputation that she will perceive if she divorces

In the book The Age of Innocence, Edith Wharton tells the tale of a young man who feels constricted by society, but at the same time embraces the strict rules that ensure that everyone has a place. Newland Archer’s life in the 1870s in old New York changes when he meets his old playmate, Ellen Olenska, right before he is about to announce his engagement to her cousin, May Welland. Newland starts to doubt his relationship and future with May as he succumbs to Ellen’s various charms, and he becomes confused, changing his mind and being influenced by people around him many times. Throughout the course of the novel, Newland has several internal awakenings which he treats as if something dramatic is happening in his life. However, these discoveries are not real epiphanies, rather they are just Newland imagining his future in an ideal world. These awakenings are of the mind or body, and they all have to do with decisions he makes in his love life.