The novel, Age of Innocence, by Edith Wharton is about personal freedom and how duty and society restricts humans from following what they desire. The first example is when Newland is discussing with the Countess about her wishes to get divorced to the Count and says, “Our ideas about marriage and divorce are particularly old-fashioned. Our legislation favours divorce-our social customs don’t” (50). This provides evidence for the theme because society doesn’t believe in divorce. This means that even though the Countess Olenska desires to get a divorce society does not believe that it is the proper thing to do and that she should just stay in a terrible relationship. Another example is shown when the Countess Olenska and Newland Archer are
