The Age of Innocence: SO WHAT? 

My first blog for December must be about something special 

something fantastic. It is for this reason I’d like to further my thoughts concerning the underlying message of The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton. For what it’s worth, no novel has ever unnerved me the way this one did – it’s abrupt and unsettling ending resulted in frustration and shock from my end. Because this novel was so powerful in affected me personally, I think it is only fair to give justice to the novel itself by discussing my jumble of thoughts. I haven’t decided whether I like the ending or not (and I doubt I will for a while), but the ending of the novel is very influential in determining the various “so whats” of the novel. Although there were many, there was a very important underlying message that spoke out to me, as I was reading the novel.

Wharton paints a disturbingly accurate portrayal of the setbacks of a society that glorifies itself based as a whole, rather than giving importance to individual freedom, thought, and opportunities. Through this portrayal she emphasizes the importance of personal expression and freedom, and highlights the idea that deviance from society is perhaps, if you will, morally sound. Archer is constantly undergoing a struggle between succumbing to his inner desires versus maintaining his own individuality within the elite class of his society. In the perspective of society, Archer’s desires to be with Countess Olenska would be wrong on multiple levels. The relationship would ruin Archer’s reputation, as Ellen is a woman with a scandalous history concerning her love life. But beyond that, Archer’s relationship with Ellen would simply be perceived as another typical affair that men engage in throughout their lives. Archer himself is very aware of this, and he attempts to hold on to his individual values in the midst of such a pervading society, in which actions are assumed and judged without measure. Although the nature of Archer’s attraction for Ellen was one that “seemed to have reached the kind of deeper nearness that a touch may sunder” (Wharton 195), Archer has to hold himself back from his desires because of the ugly assumptions and consequences that would lay in store for him from his surroundings. I thought this was very interesting, as Wharton depicts Archer’s lost opportunities as a loss of a part of Archer himself, and through this I was able to extract a deeper meaning of the novel. The key idea lies in the way Archer loses his own individuality by denying himself Ellen Olenska: Ellen Olenska was a part of him, one that gave him meaning, one that created passion. When Archer’s position in society hinders him from pursuing his love interest, the strict social codes of society also strip him of his own freedom and opportunity, through which the author portrays the setbacks of a society that denies the very essence of humanity.

Touched by all aspects of this novel, I must fully appreciate this novel as it gave me a whole lot to think about concerning our own individuality within the societies that have consumed us to this very day.