Ellen Mingott Sparknotes

The beginning starts with the main character, Newland Archer, arriving to an opera house where the most important and influential people of New York have gathered to see the show. He spots his fiancee, May Welland, seated in a box near her grandmother, Mrs. Manon Mingott. While Newland looks at May he begins to think about how happy they would be when they get married. Suddenly, Countess Ellen Olenska, who is May’s cousin, takes a seat nearby and attracts a lot of attention from the people that are around her. The people are shocked by her presence because they had heard a rumor that she had left her unfaithful husband who is a Polish count. Newland feels like he should support the family of his bride-to-be and he walks over to the Mingott box without caring about his demonstration of the connection he has with this family. After the opera, the wealthy people of new york gather at an annual ball at the Beaufort residence where Archer and May finally announce their engagement. To the relief of the Mingott family, Ellen Olenska did not arrive at the party. …show more content…
When the couple visits Mrs. Mingott she greets them warmly and doesn’t seem to care when Ellen arrives with Julius Beaufort who is married. Archer does not like her behavior at all. Later, Archer dines with his family and they gossip about Ellen Olenska. Archer gets mad and states that she had every right to do what she did just like any man would. This makes Newland Archer think about his upcoming wedding to May and he finds that women in his society are raised to not be able to be free to make their own decisions and that makes him feel worried about his future with