The Van Der Luydens: Epitome of High Class Essay

Throughout the passage, Wharton would flashback to how people were feeling and the atmosphere of the past. Beginning in the first paragraph, Wharton explains that his mother said, “they used to meet at the Fifth Avenue Hotel” (1-2) and that “she dropped the words in a hiss that might have singed the snowy baby-blanket

Wharton takes the much-admired upper crust of society and exposes them, not in a hurtful world, but an objectively world. Wharton writes: "I've come to the conclusion that I don't in the least know what they are," said Mrs. Ansley. "And perhaps we didn't know much more about each other."(780) This one passage serves as a direct commentary on both the bonds of friendship and family life. Wharton's language is objective, straightforward. The character speaks these alarming

Women in society sometimes are subject to objectification, meaning they are treated as a mere object; unequal to men. In the novel, The House of Mirth, by Edith Wharton, this holds true, except, women are said to be equal to men, but are not treated in this exact manner. Lily is apart of the upper class society of New York and attends parties, gambles all her money, and throughout the whole book tries to marry a rich man. Wharton’s feminism is apparent in the way she treats Lily; Lily gets through society, merely by keeping up her appearances. Beauty and appearance are everything in this society, if you are beautiful you will get far in society, however, the only thing Lily is lacking is wealth. In the novel, feminism is present with the idea of appearances and the symbol of money is used to convey that men are needed to control a women’s social stability.

The Puritan society influences the morality in The Scarlet Letter, while in Ethan Frome, Ethan makes his decisions based on his own ideas of morality. The similarity in the moral sensibilities of these novels is significant because it reveals that the ideas of morality can be seen across time periods, as it was not only an issue at one specific time. In conclusion, the insight provided by Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter and Wharton’s Ethan Frome reveals that the moral ideas expressed in these novels can be found across settings and time

The balance of power has been one of mankind’s most prominent and fought-over issues, particularly among the two sexes. Men are biologically predisposed to be more powerful, and humans have historically associated a male’s physical strength with authority. At the same time, women have been conditioned to yield to a man’s power, and have been taught that men are meant to hold economic, societal, and domestic control, as displayed by New York’s high-society in Edith Wharton’s timeless novel The Age of Innocence. Yet, power is an unquantifiable, metaphysical idea completely unrelated to one’s gender. Power is held in the eye of the beholder, and over time, women have used this idea to manipulate and control men without them even knowing. In doing so, women have been creating their own power for centuries, though society does not recognize it nor give them credit for having as much control as they do. Despite its setting in a patriarchal 19th century society, Wharton manages to defy even modern gender roles by contrasting the influence of resolute Ellen Olenska—a presumably promiscuous noblewoman—with lawyer Newland Archer’s submissiveness so as to suggest that women truly hold power over men during this time.

In The Age of Innocence, Edith Wharton portrays gender through the juxtaposition of Ellen and May. May is the type of woman who personifies innocence. She always keeps up with her appearance and personality even when she

George could not turn his back on New York City because the city had never turned its back on him, even when he had absolutely nothing. The effects of being raised in this sometimes cruel, yet prosperous environment is evident in the life of George Andrews; he represents not only the harsh

Novelist Edith Wharton wrote her defining work, 1905's the House of Mirth, on a subject she knew all too well: the style-over-substance realm of New York's upper-crust society during the Gilded Age. Having been raised in this "fashionable" society, Wharton knew both its intricacies and cruelties firsthand. The triumphant rise and tragic fall of protagonist Lily Bart demonstrate both the "sunshine and shadow" of the Gilded Age. The House of Mirth not only exposes the reality of how "the other half live," but also satirizes and condemns their elitist existence.

Daisy Miller examines European high society throughout the 1870s. The societal norms are placed firmly in the beliefs of the class system, social status, and education: all of which are needed in order to successfully assimilate into the world of the upper class. Henry James makes it clear that these norms make up the lives of the high society through his characterization of the “uncultivated” Daisy Miller. Daisy’s character is questionable throughout the novella, and the word “uncultivated” has been necessary to coming to that conclusion.

Throughout the novel, the author’s voice appears to criticize the empty morals of Old New York, where she once belonged. With refined use of irony, Wharton explored the established social order that prevented individuals to deviate from the traditional structure. The novel’s Archer Newland is one who failed to break “through barriers of convention” and can’t escape “steely embrace of the tribe” (Auchincloss 44). Despite being the protagonist, Archer fails to break away from the tight-knit group. Archer’s life is in a settled pattern; His indecisiveness prevents expression (McDowall 54).

Edith Wharton wrote and set The House Of Mirth in the American Gilded Age. Wharton uses Lily Bart, the protagonist, as a symbol for a common unmarried women living in that time period. However, Wharton’s

The purpose of this Extended Essay is to challenge the general categorization of male as heroes in novels through one of Edith Wharton’s best novels by examining the question “How does Edith Wharton manifest the role of May Welland and Ellen Olenska in foreshadowing the plot of The Age of Innocence?” The scope of this essay encompasses two works; first a critical analysis of the character, May and second, an analysis of the character, Ellen, regarding their roles as foreteller and heroines in the novel. The unique use of Mythology by Wharton as symbols to portray her two leading female characters, in the era of the Gilded Age, is what initially drew me to write an essay on this topic. This essay thus explores Wharton’s use of mythology

Because of Wharton's slight deviation from naturalistic conventions, a literary debate exists among critics as to the validity of viewing The House of Mirth as a novel which embodies

Newland declares to the table that women have the right to be “as free as [men] are” (Age of Innocence 38). As the women talk further about Ellen, Newland states that he is sick of the “hypocrisy that would bury a woman” for preferring to be with her husband, contrary to what others believe (Age of Innocence 37). Newland sees a small connection between the women’s opinions and his own relationship with Ellen. He begins to see he must make a choice between Ellen and May, unbeknownst to him that his choice will be what is “socially acceptable” to old New York (“Edith Wharton” 2). Newland then decided that May should have the same “freedom of experience” he has (Age of Innocence 42).

     Edith Wharton's The House of Mirth is an affront to the false social values of fashionable New York society.  The heroine is Lily Bart, a woman who is destroyed by the very society that produces her.  Lily is well-born but poor.  The story traces the decline of Lily as she moves through a series of living residences, from houses to hotel lodgings.  Lily lives in a New York society where appearances are all.  Women have a decorative function in such an environment, and even her name, Lily, suggests she is a flower of femininity, i.e. an object of decoration as well as of desirability to the male element.  We see this is very true once Lily's bloom fades, as it were, a time when she