Age of Innocence :: essays papers

Age of Innocence Chapter One Summary The play opens at the opera. currentland archer enters his opera box and looks out across the theater to see his girlfriend, whitethorn Welland, touch the lilies he had given her. While dreaming of their future together, his thoughts atomic number 18 interrupted by gasps from the gentlemen sitting with him. They are whispering about a fashionably dressed woman who has just sat down in the box with May. Sillerton Jackson gasps, I did not think they would have seek it on, which means, he cant believe the Mingotts would allow the woman to fuck and sit in their box at the opera house. Analysis This is a maintain about the conventions of Old New York, New York City in the 1870s. Wharton loves verbalise apart the old against the new. She begins these contrasts in the very first paragraph. Here she describes the new Opera theater that is going to be erected in the remote forties. We can get that the forties have been built up since then and great deal class period her book in the 1920s (when it was published) would enjoy hearing about how New York has changed. Along these lines, there is also a description of the old people versus the new people, whom NY was beginning to dread and yet be drawn to. to a fault important in this first chapter is Whartons discussion of fashionability and propriety. We can tell from the way that Newland Archer, Lawrence Lefferts and Mr. Silverton Jackson are introduced (all are so concerned with what is righteous and the thing) that Wharton allow for spend a lot of time in the novel discussing and perhaps critiquing these concepts in the book. Of note, as well, is the great attention to fact that Wharton has. The way she describes clothing and interior decoration with much detail has take many to dub this book a costume novel. We will have to see for ourselves if the book develops beyond being a bodice ripper variety show of book. May Welland will be one of the mos t important characters in the book. She is holding Lillies of the Valley. In the 1870s the lily of the valley was the flower of chastity and of the names Cynthia and Diana. Later in the book, May is often compared to Diana, the Greek goddess of the hunt.