1124 Wharton, Edith
by sacrificing his own desires that Newland feels he
can be happy.
Sherah Wells
Love in The Age of Innocence
In early 20th-century New York society, the appear-
ance of form and taste are of the utmost importance.
Romantic love and the desires of the individual are
secondary goals in the process of selecting a future
spouse in comparison to factors such as social
advancement and monetary gain. However, it is not
true that love is nonexistent in the period Edith
Wharton calls “the age of innocence.” In her novel
of the same name, Wharton explores love in its
various forms through the character of Newland
Archer and his relationships with May Welland
and Ellen Olenska, whereby he discovers that
passion does not necessarily outweigh loyalty and
companionship.
The novel opens with Newland preparing to
announce his engagement to May, a match consid-
ered socially advantageous by everyone involved. It
is clear from the outset that Newland is not pas-
sionately in love with May; in fact, he does not know
much about her at all and assumes he will mold her
into his ideal wife. He makes it clear, though, that
“he [does] not in the least wish the future Mrs New-
land Archer to be a simpleton.” He merely assumes
that the future of their marriage will be based on
society’s expectations rather than their own personal
relationship.
All of this changes, however, with the arrival of
May’s cousin, Countess Ellen Olenska. Ellen is por-
trayed as May’s opposite in every way, most notably
with the scandal that seems to follow her wherever
she goes. Throughout the novel, the two women
demonstrate high regard for their differences. It
is these differences that allow each to believe that
the other could never pose a threat to Newland’s
affections. In order to solidify the respectable
union of the Archer and Welland families, New-
land announces his and May’s engagement at the
Beauforts’ ball on the evening of Ellen’s appearance
at the opera. To New York society, this is a clear
indication of Newland and May’s love, but in actu-
ality it serves as the impetus for Newland’s shifting
of his affection from May to Ellen. His sense of
propriety compels him to befriend Ellen in an effort
to enlighten her regarding the regulations of New
York society. As he does so, he becomes acquainted
with her as an individual, and, consequently, they
fall in love.
Archer has never been passionately in love
before, and so at first he does not recognize this new
emotion. Ellen destabilizes his thought about mar-
riage and his relationship with May so thatWith a new sense of awe he looked at the
frank forehead, . . . 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; and once more it was borne in on
him that marriage was not the safe anchorage
he had been taught to think, but a voyage on
uncharted seas.Newland’s love for Ellen serves to enhance his love
for May as he begins to understand her as an unpre-
dictable creature as well.
Love for May on the part of both Newland
and Ellen keeps them from running away together.
Newland marries May, and the narrative makes
clear that his relationship with Ellen has defini-
tively ended when May tells Newland she will
have a baby. Before telling Newland, however,
she has already confided in Ellen, and when she
tells Newland this, her eyes are “wet with vic-
tory.” Although May has never hinted that she
knows about Newland and Ellen, here Wharton
intimates that indeed May have known but feels
that she has secured Newland’s loyalty by bearing
his child.
In this way, the novel indicates how closely inter-
twined are the emotions of love, loyalty, and passion.
The novel concludes with Newland and his adult
son, Dallas, traveling in Paris to visit Ellen two year
after May’s death. Although there is nothing now
to keep them apart, Newland sends Dallas in alone.
When his son asks what excuse he should make,
Newland simply replies, “Say I’m old-fashioned;
that’s enough.” By refusing to see Ellen, Newland
remains loyal to May and preserves the memory of