The Age Of Innocence By Edith Wharton - 1558 Words

The family-oriented 1950 s were perhaps the last decade in which women s behavior and social norms were in agreement, according to the study, entitled American Women in Transition. There is much controversy on the social norms of women. In her well credited novel The Age of Innocence, Edith Wharton uses gender roles to emphasize that women are seen inferior to men while portraying that it is socially acceptable in their society to objectify women and categorize them based on their actions. She uses two highly contrasting characters that both embody desirable traits as well as inexpedient traits in order to convey this. Wharton’s parents were wealthy conservatives who belonged to New York’s upper class. At the age of 23, she wed a wealthy upper class man as her parents had wanted. Wharton was not fond of any of the events which came along with the lifestyle, leading her to a nervous breakdown a few years into her marriage. When she was younger she had written short stories and poems, so subsequently when she had her break down it was recommended that she start to write again. She wrote the novel incompletely as a representation of her own life and struggles. Newland Archer evidently holds a predisposition for objectifying Countess Ellen Olenska as well as May Welland. Wharton describes this perception of May on page 6 of the novel as, â€Å"he contemplated her absorbed young face with a thrill of possessorship in which pride in his own masculine initiation wasShow MoreRelatedThe Age Of Innocence By Edith Wharton1539 Words   |  7 PagesIn Edith Wharton’s novel, The Age of Innocence, the old New York society accepted those who followed moral codes and dreaded hearing those who did not. Growing up in a society that has strict rules and traditions in the 1800’s, Wharton wrote books about this time period and how characters were affected by these societal rules and traditions. Edith Wharton grew up in New York City and spent most her life there. She met her husband, Edward Wharton there and continued writing other novels as well. LaterRead MoreThe Age Of Innocence By Edith Wharton2131 Words   |  9 Pages The novel, The Age of Innocence, is the story of Newland Archer, a lawyer and heir to one of New York s most prominent families. Newland is planning to marry the young, beautiful and sheltered May Welland, however when May s exotic cousin, the Countess Ellen Olenska, appears on the scene he begins to question these plans. Throughout The Age of Innocence, Edith Wharton uses the social interactions and attitudes of Newland Archer and his friends as a means of weighing society itself. The genreRead MoreEssay on The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton539 Words   |  3 Pages Edith Wharton was the author of The Age of Innocence, a novel published in 1920. In the book, many topics were considered, such as divorce, the empowerment of women, and the lifestyle of the wealthy. The inspiration for these motifs occurred throughout her life. Although Edith Wharton’s work was not well-received, the topics included in her writings held many truths about upper-class society in the late 1800s; therefore, Edith Wharton was influenced by her past and societal experiences. WhartonRead MoreThe Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton1505 Words   |  6 Pages  Ã‚  Ã‚  The  narrator  is  able  to  share  how  life  in  high  New  York  society  functions.   More  specifically,  the  narrator  is  able  to  reveal  Newland  Archer’s  thoughts  and  emotions  as  he   works  through  his  internal  struggle.    ­Irony ­Ã‚   The  book  being  called  The  Age  of  Innocence  is  ironic  because  the  one  who  would  be  perceived   as  being  most  innocent,  is  not  as  naà ¯ve  as  believed.  May  Welland  Archer  grew  up  innocent  and   naà ¯ve  and  has  never  known  passion  until  her  husband  introduces  her  to  it.  Ã‚  After  Newland  begins   his  affairRead MoreThe Age Of Innocence By Edith Wharton And The Waste Land1398 Words   |  6 PagesThe Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton and The Waste Land by T.S. Eliot has similar recurring imagery. Both literary works portray two women in a way and compare these two women characters. Wharton’s portrayal of gender in the society of Old New York illustrates the â€Å"perfect† woman through May Welland along with the â€Å"imperfect† woman through Ellen Olenska, whereas in the poem The Waste Land by T.S. Eliot, the role and sexuality of women is shown through the juxtaposition of two women in the sectionRead MoreSociety in The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton Essay759 Words   |  4 PagesSociety in The Age of Innocence 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 â€Å"poor† because she is shameful in the eyes of the society that surrounds her. EllenRead MoreThe Birth Of The Realism And Modernism Era1322 Words   |  6 PagesEdith Wharton Literary History The birth of the Realism and Modernism era appeared during the late eighteenth century to early nineteenth century. Both Realism and Modernism are evident in many of Edith Wharton’s literary works. Realism came from chaotic times where it â€Å"encompasses the period of time from the Civil War†(Realism from American). The United States grew enormously after the civil war with â€Å"the rapid growth in industrialism and urbanization, an expanding population base due to immigrationRead MoreEdith Wharton1675 Words   |  7 PagesBiographical Summary Edith Wharton lived a very interesting life. She had grown up in a relatively high class family. She had some trouble in her relationship though. Most of her novels are written about her past life experiences. Although she did have challenges to face, Edith Wharton ended up extremely well. On January 24, 1862, Edith Wharton was born in New York City. Her parents are George Fredric Jones and Lucretia Stevens Rhinelander. They were descents from English and Duitch colonists whoRead MoreSociety Wasn’t Built In a Day: Societal Structure in The Age of Innocence1493 Words   |  6 Pagesthing to arrive early at the opera; and what was or was not the thing played a part as important in Newland Archers New York as the inscrutable totem errors that had ruled the destinies of his forefathers thousands of years ago-Edith Wharton The Age of Innocence Societies, like houses and businesses are built a certain way. They each have a certain way of functioning and placing some people above others. Throughout history, there are plenty examples of this concept, the best of which lies withinRead MoreConformity in Edith Whartons The Age of Innocence Essay1292 Words   |  6 Pagesexpress the pitfalls of this new society. Edith Wharton analyzes the dual purpose of the silences through characters that represent different facets of views during the time. In the Age of Innocence,Wharton emphasizes Olenska and Archer’s silences to identify and criticize the invisible evils that lurk within the hierarchy of â€Å"old New York† and reveal the rationalization of a pretentious and delusional society. Depicting the nature of a desperate society, Wharton reveals, in this seemingly extravagant