The Age Of Innocence- We Never Really Grow Out Of It
'The Age Of Innocense' is a novel by Edith Wharton about the uptight and conservative New York society of the 1880s. It tells the story of Newland Archer, a young lawyer engaged to be married to the lovely May Welland and living life the way a man of his age and background is expected to live. His life has been planned by the world he lives in and he simply follows the rules set for him. He is satisfied with his existence till the arrival of May's cousin Ellen Ollenska. Ellen is seeking a divorce from her European husband, a step that would destroy her reputation. She catches his fancy- her former European life a mystery, her mannerisms unconventional, her life pitiable. He falls in love with her and starts a forbidden romance but must eventually marry May, his bethrothed. Years later, after May's death, he sees Ellen in Europe, only to realize they can never rekindle what once was. Both of them have grown and changed, just not together.
'The Age Of Innocence' is a beautiful novel in which every line subtly and sarcastically criticizes society. Wharton's work can be compared to Jane Austen's, but in today's day and age, the young will find it easier to relate to Wharton.
The novel filled me with question. Did Newland ever love Ellen, or was it the promise of an unconventional life so different from the one planned out from him attract him to her? Is May, the one who is painted as the most conventional of the lot, really the best character, with her showing more wisdom than Newland on several occasions? Is the novel about Newland's love or about his dissatisfaction? And most importantly, how is it that public and personal lives dictate each other and what gives others the right to decide how we shall live?
Now, we may think we have come along way since the novel was written and we may be right. People have learnt not to live to find a place in society but also to find happiness. Or have we?
Even today, there are things we consider 'right' and 'wrong'. Let's take an example- kids are sent to private schools even though public schools have the same curriculum. It is not about learning the right things. It's about mingling with the right people, learning to use the right language, having a good front to show the world. Your social standing may be determined by how popular you are in the social circuits, how many get-togethers you are invited to, how many you show up at. You are judged by the people you are seen with. And when we feel we are becoming like everyone else with no identity of our own, we decide to do something wild and inconsequential. Maybe if we do something wild (get drunk, drive fast, go partying), we'll be able to grow and say "Yes, I did that". But when we grow old, we see we haven't really done anything and if we could go back, maybe we could have lived our lives differently. We se that our actions, both careful and reckless, didn't really lead us to any special place.
We all do have a thirst for superficial happiness. It's almost as if we are competing for happiness and nobody is allowed to get there before us. But this race makes us lose our way. It takes us to a place from where no matter where we look, we see the exact same thing.
Unlike the novel, however, real life does give us true happiness at times. We may not find it at a fancy dinner, but we may find it when we win a simple competition with our teammates. We may not find it after we get a raise, but we may find it when we stand first in class. We may not find it with the thousands of friends and acquaintances we chose to surround ourselves with in order to feel less lonely, but we find it with our parents and children and true friends. The only problem is that we are so caught up in trying to be happy all the time (believe me, that's impossible) that we fail to notice it when we actually are.
It's time to stop living in the age of innocense. It's time to grow up.
'The Age Of Innocence' is a beautiful novel in which every line subtly and sarcastically criticizes society. Wharton's work can be compared to Jane Austen's, but in today's day and age, the young will find it easier to relate to Wharton.
The novel filled me with question. Did Newland ever love Ellen, or was it the promise of an unconventional life so different from the one planned out from him attract him to her? Is May, the one who is painted as the most conventional of the lot, really the best character, with her showing more wisdom than Newland on several occasions? Is the novel about Newland's love or about his dissatisfaction? And most importantly, how is it that public and personal lives dictate each other and what gives others the right to decide how we shall live?
Now, we may think we have come along way since the novel was written and we may be right. People have learnt not to live to find a place in society but also to find happiness. Or have we?
Even today, there are things we consider 'right' and 'wrong'. Let's take an example- kids are sent to private schools even though public schools have the same curriculum. It is not about learning the right things. It's about mingling with the right people, learning to use the right language, having a good front to show the world. Your social standing may be determined by how popular you are in the social circuits, how many get-togethers you are invited to, how many you show up at. You are judged by the people you are seen with. And when we feel we are becoming like everyone else with no identity of our own, we decide to do something wild and inconsequential. Maybe if we do something wild (get drunk, drive fast, go partying), we'll be able to grow and say "Yes, I did that". But when we grow old, we see we haven't really done anything and if we could go back, maybe we could have lived our lives differently. We se that our actions, both careful and reckless, didn't really lead us to any special place.
We all do have a thirst for superficial happiness. It's almost as if we are competing for happiness and nobody is allowed to get there before us. But this race makes us lose our way. It takes us to a place from where no matter where we look, we see the exact same thing.
Unlike the novel, however, real life does give us true happiness at times. We may not find it at a fancy dinner, but we may find it when we win a simple competition with our teammates. We may not find it after we get a raise, but we may find it when we stand first in class. We may not find it with the thousands of friends and acquaintances we chose to surround ourselves with in order to feel less lonely, but we find it with our parents and children and true friends. The only problem is that we are so caught up in trying to be happy all the time (believe me, that's impossible) that we fail to notice it when we actually are.
It's time to stop living in the age of innocense. It's time to grow up.
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