Men and Women in Age of Innocence

281 Words2 Pages
In the Age of Innocence, many themes that are integrated into the novel arise from the interplay of the plot, the many different characters, and the main conflict occurring between the three major characters in the novel. One of the stronger themes in the novel is the social image of men and women. The selected passage that is used as an example was taken from Chapter 1, pages 6-7. In this passage, May Welland and Newland Archer are at the opera. Newland Archer, the protagonist in the novel, is describing his fiancé, May Welland, and how innocent and elegant she looks. Archer then goes on to explain how he will change the way May looks at things, and how she will not be one of those ‘simple’ wives. He dreams of being the one to show her the things that she has not seen before. One of the greater purposes of this passage in the novel is that it describes the image of this woman, May, and how she presents and image that is full of purity and innocence. It describes how May has not seen many of the things there are to see, and how Newland, who has seen these things, will show them to her. The selected passage also portrays Newland’s image. He has seen many of the things life has to offer, and he has previously been in an affair. The selected passage illustrates the difference between men and women and how gender sets the boundaries to what is expected of the character in society through the use of detail, which allows the audience to understand what kind of image this character is expected to
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