Literary Analysis Essay on The Age of Innocence

Introduction

The Age of Innocence is a novel written by Edith Wharton that depicts an image of the upper-class society in New York towards the end of the 19th century. The story in the book is written from the groping point of view of Newland Archer, the novel's protagonist, who is a refined lawyer and an heir to a wealthy family in New York city as well as those of two women,-Ellen Olenska and May Welland. Newland Archer is euphorically engaged to a young, wealthy, beautiful and overprotected woman who goes by the name May Welland but the arrival of May's cousin from Europe, Countess Ellen Olenska, plants seeds of doubt in his mind as to whether he really wants to push through with marrying his fiance' for a lifetime. This is brought about by the distinct personalities Archer sees in the two women, one being unconventional, and the other utterly innocent and polite.

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Ambivalence in the view of women is a trait that can be seen throughout the novel. Particular Deconstructive criticism of the book can, therefore, be offered. The story keenly focuses on the different representation of the female identities through the vivid narration of Ellen Olenska and May Welland's points of view. The two women have two contrasting approaches in the way they go about life (Woman Issues in The Age of Innocence 2018). While May's image is depicted as one full of innocence, politeness, and utterly devoid of one's own opinion and sense of individualism as is the nature of her high class, Ellen is depicted as exotic, original and a representation of the unknown with her European experience (Singley 1996). Wharton gives Ellen intellectual freedom as well as an eye for art and mastery of female seduction. For instance, as opposed to wearing a "virginal white tulle" like May, Ellen chooses to dress more provocatively in styles like the " dark blue velvet Josephine-style gown" (Deter 2007).

The touch of European art that Ellen possesses can be seen in the way she completely changed the tatty apartment she had rented into "something intimate [and] foreign" (Wharton p76). She also gives the apartment a touch of female seduction by transforming into something that is "subtly suggestive of old romantic- Senses and Sentiments" (Wharton p76). Ellen and May also view marriage in completely different angles. For May, marriage is a traditional practice that is fated for women who then reach their life's goal of happiness. She expects "to be a happy wife and to build a steady family" (Wharton 2005). When she gets married to Archer, she waits with eagerness for them to make family goals that will see them live a fulfilled marriage for a lifetime and performs the full duties of a wife, choosing to rather live by the conventional behavioral practices that society has structured for women.

On the other hand, Ellen believes that she cannot restrict herself to an unhappy marriage just because of fear of ridicule by society. She seeks to divorce her husband when it becomes clear that their marriage has hit a dead end. According to Woman Issues in The Age of Innocence, Ellen values her freedom most of all and yearns to escape from the traditional limitations set by her world and chooses to hold back to her intellectual independence. The different beliefs and lifestyles lived by the two women, therefore, goes to show the mixed attitude towards women that the novel has.

Marxist criticism can also be applied to The Age of Innocence to gain an understanding of a few of the plot events in the novel. Wharton portrays the social class and economics of the wealthy people in New York as well as the social customs that bind the actions, behaviors of characters in the novel. According to Wharl, Wharton clearly exemplifies the principles of conventional neoclassical economics through the courtship customs of the high-class society where the characters in the book are seen forgoing lost opportunities to marry others or to remain single with the expectation of a net benefit from marrying a particular person; just like it happens with the economic principles of opportunity costs and gains from trade (2008).Based upon Marxists criticisms on feminism, the individual freedom of women in the novel is restricted by standards that are structured by society ( Marxist Criticisms to the Age of Innocence n.d). The Old New York society forces the women to "comply with mannerism and behaviors" that are associated with them (Wharton 845). Women are expected to be submissive to their husbands in a society that is dominated by male chauvinism since marriage is seen as the only way they can achieve their happiness in life. For instance, May expects to play her role of performing the duties of a wife when she get married to Archer and perceives taking care of her family at home as the only way to achieve her happiness despite desperate attempts by her friend, Newland, to convince her otherwise (Wharton 2005). Unfortunately, the women like Ellen who try to go against these norms are scorned upon. As a result, the second placement of women as submissive to their husbands limits their ability to quest for power in life.

The values of order, loyalty tradition, and duty are well represented in The Age of Innocence. Law is described in the repetition of certain rituals. The wedding at Grace church depicts the order at which things must be done. The code of tradition isclearly enforced through the shunning of women who refuse to be submissive to their husbands. The society in the novel refuses to welcome Ellen because she is a woman who has run away from her husband. From an Existential philosophical approach, The Age of Innocence represents Wharton's solution to the nuclear impasse facing the realist tradition in society. The plot of the novel seems to be all about choosing between two extremes. Characters are faced with the damning design to either want to live by the dictations of their cultural norms or pursue their freedom and happiness. According to Critical Essays Themes in The Age of Innocence, loyalty was not just a virtual among families and marriages but also among men (n.d). Old New York's ability to silence communication indisputably reflects the cohesiveness by the representative of the younger generation (Ebby 1992). When Ellen had fallen from grace, "The Mignotts had not declared their disapproval aloud [because] their solidarity was too strong" (Wharton 2005)

The Age of Innocence is based upon the imminent marriage of a wealthy New York City couple that is bombarded by a scandal following the arrival of a relative. In her artistic portrayal of the lush lifestyle of the upper-class society of New York, Edith Wharton also depicts images of societal attitudes towards women as well as social order and traditions and loyalty to such.

Works Cited

CliffsNotes. Critical Essays Themes in The Age of Innocence. n.d. htpps://www.cliffnotes.com/literature/a/the-age-of-innocence/critical-essays/themes-in-the-age-of-innocence

Eby, Clare Virginia. "Silencing Women in Edith Wharton's The Age of Innocence." Colby Quartely (June 1992): p.93-104. Volume 28, no2.http://digitalcommons.colby.edu/cq.

Elaman-Garner. Contradictory Depictions of the New Woman: Reading Edith Wharton's The Age of Innocence as Dialogic Novel. European Journal of American studies [online] 11-2.2016, document 3, connection on 14 March 2019. http://journls.openedition.org/ejas/11552: DOI: 10.400/ejas.11552

Wharton Edith. The Age of Innocence. 1920 New York: Collier,1993.

Wharl, Jenny B. "Edith Wharton as an Economist: nAn Economic Interpretation of The House of Mirth and The Age of Innocence." Carleton College Department of Economics Working Paper Series (July 2008): 5-21. No. 2005-04.