Oddness In The Age Of Innocence
In The Age of Innocence, Edith Wharton uses the minor character Ned Winsett, to contrast with the protagonist, Newland Archer. Newland Archer is a young lawyer from a rich New York family, living by conventions and sticking to the social order, on the other side of the spectrum is Ned Winsett, an unconventional journalist. While Archer is rich, Ned is poor; Archer thinks Ned is free to do whatever he pleases and is not held down by a strict social life like him. Ned Winsett serves as a character that helps bring out the oddness in the character Archer. Archer and Ned are opposites of the pre-war American society, a society so different from each other that they rarely interact. Wharton uses Ned’s character to bring out this difference and also
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emphasize the dilemma that Archer faces. The dilemma being that following his passion would mean that Archer would lose his social standing. Ned is introduced in the novel when Archer bumps into him after the play and Ned asks Archer about Ellen. Archer is in love with Ellen and although offended by Ned enquiring about her, answers him only to find out that Ellen is Ned’s neighbour and that she had been kind to Ned’s son. From this chapter, the reader is given more information about who Ned is and what Archer thinks of him. Archer thinks that Ned, while intelligent is not the right fit for the old New York society, because of his occupation and wealth. Ned has a completely different outlook on society than Archer; this may have to do with his social status and occupation. This different outlook by Ned makes Archer reconsider the restrictions and values of his lifestyle. No other characters at the play that Archer bumps into talk to him this way or examine such topics.
“Ned Winsett, the only one among what Janey called his “clever people” with whom he cared to probe into things a little deeper than the average level of club and chop-house banter (Wharton 86).” Ned Winsett, although not a part of Archers family or friends happens to be one of the few people that Archer can actually talk to. Archer sees Ned Winsett as someone who has personal and social freedom but also as someone who had to get it at a high cost. Ned is a failed author and works as a journalist to care for his wife and young son. Archer describes that Ned “was a pure man of letters, untimely born in a world that had no need of letters (Wharton 87-88).” Archer also sees Ned as someone who has given up easily and at such a young age because of the failure of his first novel. Ned chooses not to write any more novels and starts to work for a third-rate magazine. “Ned Winsett had those flashes of penetration; they were the most interesting thing about him, and always made Archer wonder why they had allowed him to accept failure so stolidly at an age when most men are still struggling (Wharton 87).” Since Ned’s failure, poverty, and the acceptance of it all, Archer thinks that Ned got his social freedom at a very high cost. Ned also acts as a source of confirmation for Archer. When Archer decides to stay with May instead of going after Ellen his true love, he finds comfort from Ned’s situation. They both gave up their personal love and freedom for social conformity. Archer gives up his love for Ellen, because leaving May for her would not have been accepted by his society and Ned gives up his love for writing in order to feed his family.
Archer through his conversations with Ned finds his opinions on old New York society valuable; he also comes to the conclusion that Ned’s life just as restricting as his own.
From this realization, Archer comes to the decision that there is no flawless alternative to the confining social structure of New York high society. Archer’s conversation with Ned always makes him take a look at his life and look at how little it contained. Although Archer finds talking with Ned different from his conversations with people in his own social class and even though Archer finds it interesting, they are not friends. This can be seen when Wharton says, “though their common fund of intellectual interests and curiosities made their talks exhilarating, their exchange of views usually remained within the limits of a pensive dilettantism (Wharton 88).” Ned acts as a sounding board for Archer at times and makes him think of things that he normally does not. His conversations with Ned about politics and books make him wonder about how small his world is and how smaller, and similar Ned’s world is.
Ned’s voice becomes the voice of the majority of America that are not in the elite upper class in the novel. He passionately believes that Archer’s world and his people are slowly becoming irrelevant to modern American society. He tells Archer that unless they make themselves useful in an economic or social way, they will be as relevant as painting in an empty house (Wharton
89).
Ned’s character gives Archer a source point by which he can weigh his own dilemma. Either be it Ned asking Archer to take up politics or unknowingly making him visit Ellen and plan to go away with her. Ned serves as a temptation and as a stimulation to think of doing things he normally would not have thought of doing. Although Ned is a minor character in the novel, Wharton uses him to good effect to bring out the theme of work in the novel (Singley,2003). Ned gives up his dream to become a writer to work at a magazine so he can feed his family. Archer does nothing and takes no risk to come out of his comfortable elite lifestyle.
Although Archer is financially free, he cannot do as he pleases because of the social restraints holding him back. Ned acts as a guide as well as a cautionary tale to Archer. Although Archer sees the bitterness behind the gossip of Ned, he fails to realize the cause of the bitterness. And even if he did, he too finally submits to the social constraints and settles for a life that his society demands. Ned is an essential minor character in the novel. His pursuit of maturity makes Archer try the same path that he had tried earlier- that of trying and giving up. Although Archer is the protagonist, the chapter where Ned is introduced, he immediately becomes a compulsive observer and looks at Ned with envy and his ability to do things that he cannot do.
emphasize the dilemma that Archer faces. The dilemma being that following his passion would mean that Archer would lose his social standing. Ned is introduced in the novel when Archer bumps into him after the play and Ned asks Archer about Ellen. Archer is in love with Ellen and although offended by Ned enquiring about her, answers him only to find out that Ellen is Ned’s neighbour and that she had been kind to Ned’s son. From this chapter, the reader is given more information about who Ned is and what Archer thinks of him. Archer thinks that Ned, while intelligent is not the right fit for the old New York society, because of his occupation and wealth. Ned has a completely different outlook on society than Archer; this may have to do with his social status and occupation. This different outlook by Ned makes Archer reconsider the restrictions and values of his lifestyle. No other characters at the play that Archer bumps into talk to him this way or examine such topics.
“Ned Winsett, the only one among what Janey called his “clever people” with whom he cared to probe into things a little deeper than the average level of club and chop-house banter (Wharton 86).” Ned Winsett, although not a part of Archers family or friends happens to be one of the few people that Archer can actually talk to. Archer sees Ned Winsett as someone who has personal and social freedom but also as someone who had to get it at a high cost. Ned is a failed author and works as a journalist to care for his wife and young son. Archer describes that Ned “was a pure man of letters, untimely born in a world that had no need of letters (Wharton 87-88).” Archer also sees Ned as someone who has given up easily and at such a young age because of the failure of his first novel. Ned chooses not to write any more novels and starts to work for a third-rate magazine. “Ned Winsett had those flashes of penetration; they were the most interesting thing about him, and always made Archer wonder why they had allowed him to accept failure so stolidly at an age when most men are still struggling (Wharton 87).” Since Ned’s failure, poverty, and the acceptance of it all, Archer thinks that Ned got his social freedom at a very high cost. Ned also acts as a source of confirmation for Archer. When Archer decides to stay with May instead of going after Ellen his true love, he finds comfort from Ned’s situation. They both gave up their personal love and freedom for social conformity. Archer gives up his love for Ellen, because leaving May for her would not have been accepted by his society and Ned gives up his love for writing in order to feed his family.
Archer through his conversations with Ned finds his opinions on old New York society valuable; he also comes to the conclusion that Ned’s life just as restricting as his own.
From this realization, Archer comes to the decision that there is no flawless alternative to the confining social structure of New York high society. Archer’s conversation with Ned always makes him take a look at his life and look at how little it contained. Although Archer finds talking with Ned different from his conversations with people in his own social class and even though Archer finds it interesting, they are not friends. This can be seen when Wharton says, “though their common fund of intellectual interests and curiosities made their talks exhilarating, their exchange of views usually remained within the limits of a pensive dilettantism (Wharton 88).” Ned acts as a sounding board for Archer at times and makes him think of things that he normally does not. His conversations with Ned about politics and books make him wonder about how small his world is and how smaller, and similar Ned’s world is.
Ned’s voice becomes the voice of the majority of America that are not in the elite upper class in the novel. He passionately believes that Archer’s world and his people are slowly becoming irrelevant to modern American society. He tells Archer that unless they make themselves useful in an economic or social way, they will be as relevant as painting in an empty house (Wharton
89).
Ned’s character gives Archer a source point by which he can weigh his own dilemma. Either be it Ned asking Archer to take up politics or unknowingly making him visit Ellen and plan to go away with her. Ned serves as a temptation and as a stimulation to think of doing things he normally would not have thought of doing. Although Ned is a minor character in the novel, Wharton uses him to good effect to bring out the theme of work in the novel (Singley,2003). Ned gives up his dream to become a writer to work at a magazine so he can feed his family. Archer does nothing and takes no risk to come out of his comfortable elite lifestyle.
Although Archer is financially free, he cannot do as he pleases because of the social restraints holding him back. Ned acts as a guide as well as a cautionary tale to Archer. Although Archer sees the bitterness behind the gossip of Ned, he fails to realize the cause of the bitterness. And even if he did, he too finally submits to the social constraints and settles for a life that his society demands. Ned is an essential minor character in the novel. His pursuit of maturity makes Archer try the same path that he had tried earlier- that of trying and giving up. Although Archer is the protagonist, the chapter where Ned is introduced, he immediately becomes a compulsive observer and looks at Ned with envy and his ability to do things that he cannot do.