How does Edith Wharton present New York society in the first chapter of the age of Innocence?

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How does Edith Wharton present New York society in the first chapter of the age of innocence?

In chapter one, Wharton presents the hypocrisy of 1870’s New York society as having defines social classes and superficial values. It is a traditionally male dominated society, where there is an emphasis on ‘appearances” and being well respected. Wharton clearly demonstrates the snobbery and double standards of society using an ironic tone.

Classism is shown in the opening page of the book., where Wharton uses the “Academy Of Music” as a cultural symbol for the old new Yorkers to use as a marriage market. Married women sit at the front of the opera displaying their jewels in order to arouse jealously for the husbands who provided them with lavish jewels. The men in turn, can display the women they possess. This elite society is divided between the traditionally wealthy and the noveau riche; there is etiquette differences between the two wealthy classes. The “conservative” cherish the fact that the opera house is too small to accommodate a large variety of people. As this keeps out the “new people”, the noveau riche class. Moreover, the upper class enjoyed going to the opera for socialising, however they were more than enthusiastic about leaving. “Americans want to get away from amusement even more quickly then they want to get to it.” This illustrates the superficial nature of society. The wealthy go to the opera to be socially accepted but they’d prefer to be in the comforts of their own house away from the strict etiquette. Wharton uses a sarcastic tone to highlight the irony of the upper class pretending to abide by the rules of etiquette, when they would really prefer to relax. Even more so, the superficial nature of society is clearly shown as the wealthy had the press praising them by calling them “an exceptionally brilliant audience.” The opera that the upper class are watching is “Faust”, a protagonist of a classic German story in which the successful but dissatisfied scholar make =s a deal with the devil, exchanging his soul and moral integrity for unlimited knowledge and worldly pleasures. Its ironic that the audience are watching the opera as Faust’s character similarly resembles the character of Newlands Archer.

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Newland Archer is Edith Wharton’s protagonist of the novel. The style, in which Wharton writes in, is in first person. Therefore, everything that the reader observes is through the eyes of Newland and what he perceives and understands it to be. By doing so, Wharton was able to make the reader see characters through someone else. This causes judgments to be formed, and a lack of knowledge to be created. “ In Particular, the limitations of what we know and think of Ellen to what Newland thinks and knows gives her reality, artistic distinctions, and intensity”. The reason for ...

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