Literature/The Age of Innocence

Characters

1. Newland Archer

A young, successful New York lawyer from an old, respectable family.
Engaged to May Welland at the beginning of the novel.
Torn between duty and passion as he falls in love with Ellen Olenska.
Approximate age: Late 20s to early 30s.

2. May Welland

Newland's fiancée and later wife.
Represents the ideal of innocence and tradition in old New York society.
Graceful, obedient, and emotionally intelligent in subtle ways.
Approximate age: Early 20s.

3. Countess Ellen Olenska

May’s cousin and the object of Newland’s affection.
Recently separated from her abusive European husband.
Seen as scandalous and unconventional by New York society.
Approximate age: Late 20s to early 30s.

4. Mrs. Manson Mingott (Catherine Mingott)

The matriarch of the Mingott family.
Wealthy, powerful, and unafraid to defy social norms.
Supports Ellen despite social disapproval.
Approximate age: 70s.

5. Mr. and Mrs. Welland

May’s traditional, conservative parents.
Uphold the values of old New York society.
Approximate age: 50s–60s.

Plot Summary

Part 1: Engagement and Introduction to Society

The novel begins in 1870s New York City, within the rigid world of upper-class society. Newland Archer, a young and respected lawyer, is engaged to the beautiful and proper May Welland. He sees her as the ideal match — innocent, refined, and well-suited to uphold the values of their elite social class.

May’s cousin, Countess Ellen Olenska, returns to New York after fleeing an unhappy and abusive marriage to a Polish count. Her arrival scandalizes society, which views divorce as immoral. Despite this, Newland becomes intrigued by Ellen's independence, honesty, and disregard for social conventions.

Tasked with advising Ellen on legal matters, Newland finds himself emotionally drawn to her. She challenges his views of marriage, society, and freedom. Although engaged to May, he begins to question whether he truly loves her or is simply fulfilling a societal expectation. As his feelings for Ellen intensify, he tries to rush his wedding to May in an attempt to stifle his growing desire and stay within the bounds of propriety.

Part 2: Conflict and Desire

Now married to May, Newland attempts to settle into the life that is expected of him, but his yearning for Ellen only grows. His dissatisfaction with the superficiality of his world becomes more apparent, and he begins to resent the conformity and repression that surround him.

Ellen, now living independently but modestly, remains an outsider in New York society. She and Newland confess their feelings for each other, but she resists a romantic relationship out of loyalty to May and an understanding of the destructive consequences it would bring. She expresses a deep emotional conflict — though she longs for freedom and love, she refuses to be the cause of scandal and heartbreak.

Newland grows increasingly desperate, fantasizing about leaving his wife and running away with Ellen. Despite his inner rebellion, he is also bound by duty, appearances, and May’s quiet yet powerful influence. His attempts to break free from convention are continually thwarted by Ellen’s restraint and the weight of societal expectations.

Part 3: Resignation and Reflection

The final blow comes when May tells Ellen — before informing Newland — that she is pregnant. This act, subtle and strategic, secures Ellen’s decision to remove herself entirely from their lives. Ellen returns to Europe, ending the romantic tension and solidifying Newland’s role within the life he once believed he chose freely.

Years pass. Newland remains a loyal husband and father, gradually settling into the role society had prepared for him. May dies young, and their children grow up, particularly their son, Dallas, who represents a new generation unbound by many of the old social constraints.

The novel ends with Newland, now in his 50s, traveling to Paris with his adult son. Dallas arranges a visit to Ellen, who still lives there. However, when they arrive outside her apartment, Newland chooses not to go up. He sits alone on a bench, reflecting on the past, recognizing that the moment for change has long passed. He prefers to preserve the memory of his love rather than confront what might have been.

The novel closes on a quiet note of resignation, highlighting the tension between individual desire and societal duty, and the irrevocable passage of time.

Introduction

A hieroglyphic world where the real thing was never said, done, or even thought, but only represented by an arbitrary set of signs.

First time a woman received the Pulitzer Prize.
At the time of its release, the book was considered a vain, simple story.
Like wedding dresses, the novel is often misread as a mere costume drama.
Explores marriage as an intimate structure crystallizing conflicts between self, custom, and society.
Stages marriage not as a happy ending but as the beginning of complex life experiences.

Origin of "Keeping up with the Joneses"

One explanation ties the phrase to Edith Wharton's father's family, the Joneses, a prominent New York family with substantial interests in Chemical Bank through marriages to the founder's daughters.
The author had a vain mother who valued social standards.
Styleness was highly valued in New York society at the time.

Feminism

Women were seen as property.
- The term "Mrs. X" reflects this, implying ownership by "X," while "Miss" highlights marital status as if it were the only important aspect of a woman's identity.
Children were significant to women, as they were often their only "property."
The role of women was deeply dependent on men:
- May had to get pregnant to "convince" Newland to stay, highlighting her lack of agency and reliance on the only "weapon" she had—sex.

Status

New York lacked an aristocracy, unlike Europe. Even prominent families like the Newlands descended from merchants, making high society "new money" in some sense.
Only three families in the book have royal blood.
The author refers to high society as "New York," implying the rest of society is irrelevant.

Politics and Power

Politics play a significant role in the book:
- Van der Luyden humiliated those who rejected the invitation to see Ellen Olenska, a powerful and emblematic scene.
The book highlights how much information can be encoded in actions and words, and how others can interpret them.

Relationships

Society values purity in women, but Newland Archer finds it less appealing, which is intriguing.
The book contrasts the fleeting nature of societal structures:
- A museum chapter shows the history of other societies, which seem meaningless.
- In the final chapter, Newland's generation's social structure appears old and irrelevant, reflecting the passage of time.

Marriage

Marriage for women serves as protection against other men, who might otherwise pursue them as mistresses.
The novel subverts the traditional "novel of manners" structure:
- Instead of ending with a happy marriage, it places marriage in the middle and portrays it as imprisoning, adding a sense of bitter irony to the "happily-ever-after" trope.

History

Despite America's growth at the time, it was still viewed as inferior to Europe, particularly in aesthetics.

Curiosities

Old-fashioned New York dined at seven.