Age Of Innocence Theme Essay

A recurring theme in Edith Wharton’s novel, The Age of Innocence, is the personal struggle between the characters and society. In an era as, which Mark Twain called it, the ‘Gilded Age’, to the naked eye, society seemed perfect, but behind closed doors, there were guilty secrets. In the novel The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton, she alludes to the struggle of each character in this story due to the societal structure of the ‘Gilded Age’, inwardly fighting against what is societally acceptable.

The Age of Innocence, written by Edith Wharton, takes place in an upper-class society, in New York during the 1870’s. Newland Archer, an upper-class lawyer, set to wed a societal acceptable young lady from another upper-class family, becomes intrigued

However, the setting in this novel implicates the significant role it plays, that which is left unsaid would play within the novel. Although there are many times in the novel where thoughts and feelings are left unsaid, there is no relationship more affected by it than that of Newland Archer and his soon to be wife, May

Although it was never explicitly said in the novel, one could assume that upon finding out about her pregnancy, May discussed the situation with her cousin Ellen in order to make certain that her affair with Newland would not ever be announced. This must have led to The Countess’ decision to move to Europe, as it was the proper thing to do to allow her cousin May to maintain a long-standing marriage for the sake of her unborn child. All of this, at the time, was left entirely unsaid, however, the reader would have had to deduce very little to be certain that this was what must have