Set in New York city, The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton is a novel that casts light upon the metropolis in the 1870s, focusing on how the social society back then was shaped. It achieves this by following the life of a young man from a wealthy family, Newland Archer, and his exposure to the world beyond that he was brought up in. His realisation of such a world is not simply attributed to his developing maturity, but rather, it is someone unexpected who helps him to reach that perspective. The person is Countess Ellen Olenska. Having escaped from a failed marriage, Ellen Olenska returns to New York, causing quite a stir amongst the residents. Olenska’s carefree and benevolent personality contrasts profoundly with that of a standard lady …show more content…
In the upper-class society of New York that Ellen and her family belong to, appearance and reputation are of unequivocal importance. As displayed by the Mingotts’ disapproval to Olenska’s attendance at Lemuel Struthers’s party, a clear line is drawn to distinguish the wealthy people at the top and the common, lower-class residents. There must be no interaction between the two as social images must be kept pristine. The wealthy people such as the van der Luydens, Mingotts and Wellands—they could not pursue “lowly” jobs such as ones in the arts or shoe polish industry. Instead, they took up “respectful” jobs such as working in a law firm or a bank. There are unyielding guidelines to social etiquette and image. Divorce was unwonted—even if two people no longer loved each other—just for the sake of keeping up images. For instance, Archer and Welland were expected to communicate the depiction of a loving, happy couple after they get married even though Archer was in fact enamoured by Ellen Olenska. The upper-class residents are able to forgive Olenska for breaching social etiquette as she had at van der Luydens’ dinner; they simply blame it on her European education. However, her perseverance in separating herself from her husband, in their minds, has the potential to damage her reputation greatly and taint the name of the Mingott family. Thus, in order to make …show more content…
Although upon first sight, our society may seem perfect when compared to the upper-class community that Archer and Olenska live in, we can still find conventions and tendencies that we unknowingly follow. These restraints seem to affect especially adolescents and young adults. Like 19th century New York, social images are still existent in our communities nowadays. As displayed by May Welland and the other wealthy families in New York, trying to keep up with a certain social image can affect one’s personality greatly. Teenagers are very self-conscious; they don’t want to develop a bad reputation amongst their peers. They pay special attention to what they wear, what they look like and try to fit in. Attempting to do this includes following trends such as buying a pair of Adidas Superstars or applying on make-up to cover the flaws they see on themselves. Unlike the ones found in Archer’s world, these aren’t rules that we are expected to follow in a certain position, but like the characters in the novel, we feel an urge to abide to them—simply for the sake of appearances and reputation. There is also a subtle distinction between social circles, once again more evident in the lives of adolescents. At schools, even workplaces, there are also some existence of friend groups. Although we may try to deny it,
The Socs— the well-to-do kids loved by society— may seem like an unusual choice as outsiders, however they, too, are not insusceptible to a teenage identity
Novels such as “The Age of Innocence”(The Editors of), which discusses a “ picture of upper-class New York society in the 1870s” (The Editors of), strongly relates to Wharton and her background. “The Age of Innocence” is considered Wharton’s “finest work” (The Age Of). The novel is based off Newland Archer and May Welland’s troubled marriage. At first, the married couple live in harmony and joy, however this dramatically changes throughout the book. Once Newland meets “May's cousin, the Countess Ellen Olenska, on the run from an unhappy marriage” (The Age of Innocence), Newland immediately falls in love. Society plays a major key role in this book. Therefore, Ellen cannot divorce her husband or make a public announcement of her feelings for Newland. As Newland’s feelings grow deeper for Ellen he feels a strong need to run away with her and live their life together. However, Newland knew that severe consequences would be upheld against him if he were to run away with Ellen. Such as, being disowned from his family. However, he never cared much about the consequences and put Ellen as his main focus. May is a sharp woman and figured out their feelings toward each other and as a result, the day they planned to leave was the day May announced her pregnancy with Newland. The book ends with May and Newland carrying on their unhappy marriage and kids while Ellen and Newland’s relationship is forever
In many high schools, there is an unspoken social order amongst peer groups; teenagers are either included in the popular group or the unpopular group. These social standings are determined by the popular group whether they will accept certain people based on shared interests and values but mainly on appearance. For example, some groups may isolate a student who does not have clothing considered to be attractive enough. Teenagers belonging to the popular clique label individuals as outcasts who do not fit the clique’s standards of a perfect appearance. This repression can cause a build up of anger if an outcast seeks to be accepted into that popular group. Literature displays this social phenomenon of categorizing people too; author Mary Shelley
Conformity means a change in one’s behavior due to the real or imagined influence of other people. As a teenager, the pressure to conform to the societal “norm” plays a major role in shaping one’s character. Whether this means doing what social groups want or expect you to do or changing who you are to fit in. During class, we watched films such as Mean Girls, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, and The Breakfast Club which demonstrate how the pressure to conform into society can change who you are. In the movies we have seen, conformity was most common during high school.
Loss of innocence is a time-worn theme in the literature of every culture. It traditionally takes the form of some type of epiphany visited upon an unsophisticated character as she grows up and encounters the larger world. The focus of this theme is normally personal, in the point of view of an individual, or the omnipotent third person account of the reaction of an individual. While this aspect can be found in the novel, it additionally explores the loss of innocence of a family, people or race, called estirpe in the original edition.
The distance between the wealthy class and the rest has grown, but so has the idea of noblesse oblige. The Great Gatsby clearly shows all of these issues as they were in the ‘20s, and all of them can be paralleled to show the same issues in today’s times. Works Cited Auchincloss, Louis. A. “The American Dream: All Gush and Twinkle.” Reading on the Great Gatsby.
The setting of a novel aids in the portrayal of the central theme of the work. Without a specific place and social environment, the characters are just there, with no reason behind any of their actions. The Age of Influence centers around the Old New York society during the 1870’s. Most of the characters are wealthy upper class citizens with a strict code to follow. The protagonist, Newland Archer, lives in a constant state of fear of being excluded from society for his actions. Archer’s character is affected by standard New York conventions as well as the pressure to uphold his place in society, both of which add to Wharton’s theme of dissatisfaction.
When life becomes overwhelming during adolescence, a child’s first response is to withdraw from the confinement of what is considered socially correct. Individuality then replaces the desire to meet social expectations, and thus the spiral into social non-conformity begins. During the course of Susanna’s high school career, she is different from the other kids. Susanna:
Much like in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, society treats views and treats people with money differently than those without it. For example, Tom and Daisy get away with the death of Tom’s mistress because of their wealth “His family was enormously wealthy – even in collage his freedom with money was a matter for reproach” (Fitzgerald,23). Further the reason that Daisy had not married Gatsby all those years ago was because he was poor, it was not until he had an enormous house and lots of money “She only married you because I was poor and she was tired of waiting for me” (Fitzgerald ,367). It was not until Gatsby became wealthy did Daisy want to marry him “After she was free, they were to go back to Louisville and be married from her house” (Fitzgerald, 311). Moreover, Gatsby’s own personal success was based on how Daisy perceived his house “He hadn’t once ceased looking at Daisy, and I think he revalued everything in his house according to the measure of response it drew from her well loved eyes.” (Fitzgerald, 260). Critic Karielle Stephanie Gam agrees with this view of success “His wealth is never cloaked; from the mansion, to the weekly parties, to the countless dress shirts and expensive cars, it is evident that Gatsby is rich as sin and is initially, though his inclusion in the nouveau riche, the epitome of the American dream.” (Karielle Stephanie
Two of Edith Wharton’s greatest novels, The Age of Innocence and Ethan Frome can be seen to have similarities in the situations the characters go through and themes that are used. Each of these novels has it’s own themes and traits that makes it great, but after examining each novel it is evident thatthere are underlying themes that link the two stories together. Perhaps the most obvious is the weakness that both Ethan Frome and Newland Archer seem to have in there lives. The feeling of being trapped, and wanting that sense of freedom is also an important part of both novels. Of course there are themes and symbolisms within each that contribute to the great differences between the two. In The Age of Innocence, mortality and immortality is one of the greatest aspects or themes; and in Ethan Frome the weakness of Ethan’s character can be seen as one of the main focus’.
As preteens and teens push for increasing independence from their parents, they tend to turn to their peers for guidance, acceptance, and security. For those who are low in self-esteem and confidence, their safety lies in fitting in and having a place to belong. Most people find a group in which they connect with in a healthy way while others make their way in cliques that give them security but at the price of their own values and individuality. The movie Mean Girls portrays how high school female social cliques operate and the effect they can have on girls. I will argue how if one doesn’t have a strong sense of self-identity, the opinions of others will become their identity.
Society has evolved over the years in many ways. Including advances in technology, and enriched education . Within the novel Great Expectations, there is a strong contrast between the rich and the poor. Similarly, in the short story, The Doll's House, the 'lower class' or poor children were displaced amongst the rest and were avoided. Although society has progressed in other ways, social class injustice is still present today. In the following essay, I will compare the existing social class injustice that is portrayed throughout the two stories set in historical periods, to those seen today by exploring the relationship between wealth and class, interaction between upper and lower class, and the social class structure.
Frances Burney’s Evelina suggests that the innocence of a young girl is often her most prized possession, but in this text, innocence does not have a single definition. The two definitions of innocence presented in the text, as defined by the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) are, “freedom from sin, guilt, or moral wrong in general; the state of being untainted with, or unacquainted with, evil; moral purity” and “freedom from specific guilt; the fact of not being guilty of that with which one is charged; guiltlessness” (“Innocence”). Evelina’s progression throughout the text challenges and explores the boundaries of her innocence. Furthermore, the boundaries of her innocence are defined by the line of Eve, which is a phrase that describes her
Edith Wharton, the victim of a loveless marriage of twenty-five years, critiques the absurd manners in which New York society regarded marriage during the 1870’s in her ninth novel, The Age of Innocence. In the rapidly changing society that was New York City during the late 19th century, strict societal rules were put in place in order to create structure for those who yearned for it. Rules regarding marriage were included in this need for structure. However, whilst the ridiculous traditions and rules were put in place to create stability, and perhaps in turn naïve happiness, they actually resulted in a society that based marriage in a façade. Throughout The Age of Innocence, Edith Wharton satirises marriage in this society through the ridiculous protocols of the wedding day, Newland Archers and May Wellands behaviour on the day of the wedding, and the behaviour of the other characters in attendance on the day of the wedding.
The characters in the novel get caught up in a frenzy of hate, scandal, and love. Newland Archer is a wealthy societal man who views his wife, May, as the reason for his unhappiness. In addition, Newland Archer get swept into the scandal and falls in love with Ellen, who he sees as a route to independence. Ellen Olenska, the cousin of May, brings a tornado of scandal to New York and becomes the center of criticism in society. In The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton, Archer and Ellen describe the desire for freedom in order to portray society as an oppressor.