The Age Of Innocence Literary Analysis

Sacrificing Freedom In The Age of Innocence, Edith Wharton illustrates a portrait of life in a wealthy 1920 New York society. No member of this society is truly and completely free, and each person gives up a large portion of their personal freedom to comply with their standards. By portraying the members of this community as constrained and restricted, Wharton forces the reader to contemplate the extent of the freedom that individuals should sacrifice in order to benefit the greater good. Wharton develops her characters to argue that social rules and traditions result in a loss of freedom. One of the main characters, Madame Olenska, is frustrated with “the blind conformity to tradition - somebody else's tradition” (242). Wharton’s other characters try so hard to follow tradition, that they do not allow themselves the freedom to discover new things, which leaves their society to appear stagnant. Blindly following tradition also forbids the characters to explore ideas such as the freedom of women. Another main character in The Age of Innocence, Newland Archer, “had long given up trying to disengage [May’s] real self from the shape into which tradition and training had moulded her” (330). Wharton demonstrates how conforming to society’s expectations can be hard on …show more content…
In the beginning of the novel, Newland believes that, “Nothing is done that can’t be undone [he is] still free and [Ellen] will be” (170). It seems like Wharton intends for him to be independent and free to do as he pleases, but his attitude changes later in the book. May is able to permanently capture him when “[she] was right... her blue eyes wet with victory” (346). Up to this point, Newland had been planning on escaping New York society with Ellen so they could both be free of the limitations which it imposed on them. Newland only gives up his freedom to be with Ellen when May informs him that she is