Divorce as a Social Scandal for New Yorkers in Edith Wharton's The Age of Innocence
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Faculty Arts in English
Abstract
This study analyzes Edith Wharton’s novel The Age of Innocence on the
feministic theoretical stand points. The novel highlights the marriage and divorce
practices of New York society of 1870s through the narratives of Ellen Olenska who
is from an aristocratic family background. The study is concentrated on how male
dominated traditional practices neglect the freedom of women in personal matter like
marriage and divorce. By scandalizing the issues of divorce, aristocratic society tries
to control over women by using so called male coded morality and discipline. Ellen,
the protagonist of the novel challenges the ongoing practices of New York society by
rejecting the norms and values made by male dominated society to have power over
female in public space.
Edith Wharton’s novel The Age of Innocence deals with the social norms and
values as respectable status. It gives more priority to society but it ignores an
individual’s happiness at the same time. This novel presents society as a superior but
the member of its society is inferior at the time. This novel raises a quest about who
makes a society. If people make society then why an individual suffers a lot due to the
conservative social norms and values. It must be changing with time and society will
be in favor of its member’s happiness. The 1870s aristocratic New York society
scandalizes the issue of divorce and the female protagonist resists living her life on
her own choice. In the same time the male protagonist is afraid to resist and live his
life as the society itself