A Not So Innocent Age
“There is no female mind. The brain is not an organ of sex. Might as well speak of a female liver” (qtd. in Steson). Women of the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century were treated as if they were lesser in mind and other aspects of life. The societal code, an unspoken guideline for proper behavior, dominated the daily lives of the upper-class in New York. Women and men put up facades as appearance was often valued over reality in this era.
The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton captures the high society of New York in the late nineteenth century. Wharton experienced an unhappy marriage during this time frame, and many of her novels detailed similar unhappy marriages, including The Age of Innocence. Newland …show more content…
Archer’s “That terrifying product of the social system he belonged to and believed in, the young girl who knew nothing and expected everything, looked back at him like a stranger through May Welland's familiar features” (Wharton 37). In upper-class New York Society, women of May’s status are expected to behave in a way that portrayed innocence and naivety. May displayed the signs of a proper lady of the socially elite, frightening Archer. At this point in the novel, May’s extreme innocence and perfect behavior for her class shock Archer’s beliefs. She fits the guidelines for women following the very same social code Archer belongs to, which disturbs him as he realizes the repetitiveness of a woman like May Welland. Archer starts to recognize the repetitive nature that life with May will provide, as “[t]here was no use in trying to emancipate a wife who had not the dimmest notion that she was not free; and he had long since discovered that May's only use of the liberty she supposed herself to possess would be to lay it on the altar of her wifely adoration” (Wharton 160). May was raised to be the ideal upper-class lady of New York, and portrays the innocence and simplicity expected of her. Archer realizes that no matter the situation, May will continue to radiate the personality of a woman raised among New York’s wealthy, and not that of a free and vibrant human being. As a woman, May’s role in society is even more structured and monotonous than the her male counterparts’. With her complacency, May remains stuck in her ways. “He had never seen any as sun-golden before, and his first impulse was to send them to May instead of the lilies. But they did not look like her - there was something too rich, too strong, in their fiery beauty” (Wharton 67). In Archer’s
“There is no female mind. The brain is not an organ of sex. Might as well speak of a female liver” (qtd. in Steson). Women of the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century were treated as if they were lesser in mind and other aspects of life. The societal code, an unspoken guideline for proper behavior, dominated the daily lives of the upper-class in New York. Women and men put up facades as appearance was often valued over reality in this era.
The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton captures the high society of New York in the late nineteenth century. Wharton experienced an unhappy marriage during this time frame, and many of her novels detailed similar unhappy marriages, including The Age of Innocence. Newland …show more content…
Archer’s “That terrifying product of the social system he belonged to and believed in, the young girl who knew nothing and expected everything, looked back at him like a stranger through May Welland's familiar features” (Wharton 37). In upper-class New York Society, women of May’s status are expected to behave in a way that portrayed innocence and naivety. May displayed the signs of a proper lady of the socially elite, frightening Archer. At this point in the novel, May’s extreme innocence and perfect behavior for her class shock Archer’s beliefs. She fits the guidelines for women following the very same social code Archer belongs to, which disturbs him as he realizes the repetitiveness of a woman like May Welland. Archer starts to recognize the repetitive nature that life with May will provide, as “[t]here was no use in trying to emancipate a wife who had not the dimmest notion that she was not free; and he had long since discovered that May's only use of the liberty she supposed herself to possess would be to lay it on the altar of her wifely adoration” (Wharton 160). May was raised to be the ideal upper-class lady of New York, and portrays the innocence and simplicity expected of her. Archer realizes that no matter the situation, May will continue to radiate the personality of a woman raised among New York’s wealthy, and not that of a free and vibrant human being. As a woman, May’s role in society is even more structured and monotonous than the her male counterparts’. With her complacency, May remains stuck in her ways. “He had never seen any as sun-golden before, and his first impulse was to send them to May instead of the lilies. But they did not look like her - there was something too rich, too strong, in their fiery beauty” (Wharton 67). In Archer’s