爱华网The age of innocence is more than a traditional love triangle. Inthis novel, Newland Archer, May Welland and Ellen Olenska all liveuncomfortably because society is the domain of the values. To defythe social ethic is to disturb the foundations’ of society and tothreaten those values.The novel is a descriptionof the struggle between the individual and the society because ofthe change as a society moves from a familiar, traditional cultureto one that is less formal and allows people to get greaterfreedom.
We can see many characters' struggle against this old-fashioned andtraditional community as the society changed. Ellen has fled herunhappy marriage to redeem her dignity and fought for her freedom.She is a free spirit who helps Newland Archer see through the NewYork society. She attends parties with disreputable people such asJulius Beaufort and Mrs. Lemuel Struthers. Finally, New York Cityinvited her as a foreign visitor to a party as to privately sendher to Europe. We can see from the novel. “As his glance travelledfrom one placid well-fed face to another he saw all theharmless-looking people engaged upon May’s canvas-backs as a bandof dumb conspirators, and himself and the pale woman on his rightas the centre of their conspiracy.” As May pretends that shedoesn't know about Newland's passionate feelings for Ellen. Welearn after May’s death that she knew the entire time that Newlandand Ellen loved each other and how Newland sacrificed his happinessto keep everyone’s reputation. And Newland also struggle againstthe society. He sees the sexual inequality of New York society andthe shallowness of its customs. And he shows his love for Ellen:first following her to Skuytercliff, then Boston, and finallywilling to follow her to Europe. But at last, he still surrendersto the community. It could be said that May and Ellen representstwo sides of Newland Archer—both are people he is afraid to become.If he is like May, he experiences death of the mind, death of thesoul, and becomes what he is expected to be to keep the foundationsof the society steady and strong. If he becomes like Ellen, he willlose everything that he has built his own foundations on. In theend, he is neither, nor is he himself. His became victim of asociety he need but cannot survive. So, compared with Ellen, he isless courageous in love and fighting for freedom. We can noticethis from the dialogue when Newland tries to dissuade Ellen fromdivorcing. Ellen is brave enough to pursue her freedom, whileArcher fears that she will be condemned by the society.
All in all, I feel pity for May, Newland andEllen, for their tragedy of love. They are all victims of theirsociety which has a strict, rigid code of social custom. But thistragedy might be inevitable in today's society when we consideredthe balance between passion and duty. Nowadays, many people maystill think that the one they marry is not the one that they lovemost. Because of the rigid code of society, victims of societyspread across the world.
