Status Updates From The Age of Innocence

He is even aware that these thoughts started when Ellen arrived. Instead of enjoying pure thoughts, he’s wondering about scandal. He grumbles and says, “Hang Ellen Olenska!” Catherine the Great’s hand shines in the guest list, the little inner circle of friends. Only the Beauforts and the Jacksons accept. Everyone turns them down with “regretted that they were unable to accept” instead of “previous engagement.”

Then he wonders if the facade of purity is all made up and artfully produced so that the lord wants to exercise his pleasure in smashing a mirage made of snow. What is below the snow, fire or ice? In fact, it does not bother him that he is not offering a blank page to her because someone needs to be worldly wise. He goes so far as to wonder why she needs to have a blank page (today this is true).

Newland believes they live in a symbolic world in which nothing is said but acted in ways that have meaning, needing no explanation and some of it goes back to the symbolic literary world! The girl is the picture of innonence who will be suddenly plunged into the “facts of life.” In May’s case, she is already making progress in understanding Tennyson to make her more sophisticated. He hopes she will awaken to joy.

He worries that, rather than having a melding of heart and mind, it will be an association of material things and social engagements. His friend who is the high priest of form dallies married women and his wife is so well-trained in holding it all together that she averts her eyes and ignores it. He hopes he is not an ass like his friend and May is not a simpleton like his friend’s sife. Again, pride.

The unfairness of her situation has pushed him to defend a behavior he would not condone in his future wife. May won’t need to because he is not a blackguard like the count. More pride. He feels a twinge of guilt: she has no past to hide, but he does. Perhaps, he is the blackguard. What happens if they tire of each other? None of his friends are thrilled about their marriages. Her training might force him to settle.

She knows nothing and expects everything and marriage is a voyage on uncharted seas (chaos). His mind drifted to Ellen’s situation and women’s rights. Since she was lowborn and he was a count, she had even fewer rights. Such marriages were almost impossible to dissolve and the wife and children saw few benefits long-term. Proper women who are wronged never claim their rights that kind men are willing to concede.

Ch. 6 After Jackson leaves and the women retire, Newland walks upstairs to his study where he is surrounded by books and photographs. The one piece of artwork mentioned is a sculpture “The Fencers” which goes well withthe verbal fencing he just did with Jackson. He looks at a photograph of his beloved and thinks of himself as her future custodian! She is the innocent he must protect.

'The very good people didn't convince me; I felt they'd never been tempted. But you knew; you understood; you had felt the world outside tugging at one with all its golden hands - and yet you hated the things it asks of one; you hated the happiness bought by disloyalty and cruelty and indifference. That was what I'd never known before - and it's better than anything I've known.'

Newland is like a knight on a quest to save his damsel in distress from being sullied. He fears that he will have to put out fires if Ellen comes. His opinion of her is even lower after meeting her in the box.

Jackson drops a bomb. She was still living with that secretary a year later. Newland thinks its hypocritical to look down on her when it was her husband who went after harlots. He states that women should be as free as men but I don’t think he would say that about May.

She is not the brute. He doesn’t think she should be an outcast because of her unhappy life. She was practically held prisoner and a true man like the secretary helped her escape. Janey mentions divorce and Newland adds that he hopes she gets one. Mother raises her eyebrows to shush him so he talks about his visit to Granny. The men sit in the drawing room to smoke cigars.

Sister comments that her opera dress looked like a nightgown. Newland points out that she went home only because her dress was not smart enough, not out of taste. Mom points out that Medora Manson let her do what she wanted as a child. Sister criticizes her for keeping such a plain name as Ellen (and hers is Janey!). Newland does not fault her for having made a wretched choice in marriage.

After they left the Wellands, mother told son she was glad that Ellen was not there. Clearly, the Mingotts had gone too far. He tried to make light of the situation and she invited Jackson to dinner out of revenge. Jackson can hardly stomach the meal when asked about Ellen and he told them she was not at the ball, which they thought decent. Then he shares that she was spotted with Beaufort walking up Fifth Avenue.

As salacious as that was, nobody cared. She was new and it would be easy to connect her to another new face. WHAT! He dallied with Mrs. Rushworth!!!! She sure gets around. Hahahaha. They think May Welland is a fine catch and they are glad he has safely passed Siren Isle, or so they think. She approved of the match, but not the hastiness of the announced caused by the arrival of Ellen.

Mom changes the conversation because of the unsavory things about Beaufort which daughter knows but they only discuss in private. She tries to winkle details out of Jackson about Mrs. Struthers. The men notice that the cucumbers had been sliced with a steel knife. She started at a mine or a saloon and a living wax works tour. She met Mr. Struther when she was hired to pose for advertising and eventually they married.