A STUDY OF REBELLION AGAINST PATRIACHAL SOCIETY AS SEEN IN THE CHARACTER OF ELLEN OLENSKA
IN EDITH WHARTON’S THE AGE OF INNOCENCE
A THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements to Obtain the Sarjana Pendidikan Degree
in English Language Education
By
Maria Eka Lestari Student Number: 06 1214 164
ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION STUDY PROGRAM DEPARTMENT OF LANGUAGE AND ART EDUCATION FACULTY OF TEACHERS TRAINING AND EDUCATION
SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY YOGYAKARTA
i
A STUDY OF REBELLION AGAINST PATRIACHAL SOCIETY AS SEEN IN THE CHARACTER OF ELLEN OLENSKA
IN EDITH WHARTON’S THE AGE OF INNOCENCE
A THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements to Obtain the Sarjana Pendidikan Degree
in English Language Education
By
Maria Eka Lestari Student Number: 06 1214 164
ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION STUDY PROGRAM DEPARTMENT OF LANGUAGE AND ART EDUCATION FACULTY OF TEACHERS TRAINING AND EDUCATION
SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY YOGYAKARTA
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iv
STATEMENT OF WORK’S ORIGINALITY
I honestly declare that this thesis, which I have written, does not contain the work or
parts of the work of other people, except those cited in the quotations and the
references, as scientific paper should.
v
LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PERSTUJUAN
PUBLISKASI KARYA ILMIAH UNTUK KEPENTINGAN AKADEMIS
Yang bertanda tangan di bawah ini, saya mahasiswa Universitas Sanata Dharma:
Nama : Maria Eka Lestari
Nomor Mahasiswa : 06 1214 164
Demi pengembangan ilmu pengetahuan, saya memberikan kepada Perpustakaan
Universitas Sanata Dharma karya ilmiah saya yang berjudul:
A STUDY OF REBELLION AGAINST PATRIACHAL SOCIETY AS SEEN IN THE CHARACTER OF ELLEN OLENSKA
IN EDITH WHARTON’S THE AGE OF INNOCENCE
beserta perangkat yang diperlukan (bila ada). Dengan demikian saya memberikan
kepada Perpustakaan Universitas Sanata Dharma hak untuk menyimpan,
mengalihkan dalam bentuk media lain, mengelolanya dalam bentuk pangkalan data,
mendistribusikan secara terbatas, dan mempublikasikannya di internet atau media
lain untuk kepentingan akademis tanpa perlu meminta ijin dari saya maupun
memberikan royalty kepada saya selama tetap mencantumkan nama saya sebagai
penulis.
Demikian pernyataan ini yang saya buat dengan sebenarnya.
Dibuat di Yogyakarta
Pada tanggal: 7 April 2011
Yang menyatakan
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
In the first place, I would like to express my greatest gratitude to the
Almighty God for His Blessing and mercy so I can finally finish writing this thesis.
His love and guidance have given me strength to cope with the hard days of my life.
I am also aware that I would not be able to complete this thesis without the
help of others. In the process of writing this thesis I received enormous assistance
and support from many people with their attention, intelligence, knowledge, and love
that I am obliged to express my gratitude to them.
I would like to address my deepest gratitude to my major sponsor, Drs. L. Bambang Hendarto Y., M.Hum. who has willingly provided his precious time for reading, correcting, and improving my thesis. I thank him so much for the guidance,
support, advice and assistance during the completion of this thesis.
I would like to express my gratitude to all lectures of English Language
Education Study Program who have guided and enriched me with knowledge and
wisdom during my study at Sanata Dharma University. I would also like to thank all
of the secretariat staffs for helping me in dealing with the administration.
My deepest gratitude goes to my beloved parents, Bapak Antonius Ngatija
and Ibu Benedicta Ngatilah, for their endless love, prayers and both financial and moral supports. They not only teach me to be a strong and independent woman but
also to believe in my self that I can pass all difficult days I have ever had. My deeply
vii
My special thanks go to my best friends: Intan as my “twin sister”, Lani, Ika, Septi, Sari for the support, love, togetherness, faith and criticism. They have given me the best time in my life by accepting me the way I am. They always cheer
me up when I feel down. What a beautiful memory we have. I would like to thank all
friends of 2006 PBI’s students, especially Neti, Intan, Ria, Ziko, Fajar, and Dewi
for being great partners in LEAF English Course.
Last but not least, I would like to address my special thank to my beloved
Heindra Pradana, S.Pd. who is always there for me. I thank him for giving me his enormous endlessly love, support and understanding.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
TITLE PAGE…….………..………... i
APPROVAL PAGES……... ii
STATEMENT OF WORK’S ORIGINALITY... iv
LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN PUBLIKASI... v
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS………... vi
TABLE OF CONTENTS... viii
ABSTRACT... xi
ABSTRAK………... xii
CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION
A.Background of the Study………
B.Problem Formulation……….
C.Objectives of the Study……….
D.Benefits of the Study……….
E.Definition of Terms……… 1
4
4
5
5
CHAPTER II. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
A.Theoretical Review………..
1. Critical Approach……….
2. Theory of Character and Characterization……… 8
8
ix
3. Patriarchal Society………
B.Theoretical Framework……….. 12
18
CHAPTER III. METHODOLOGY
A.Object of the Study……….
B.Approach of the Study………
C.Method of the Study………
19
20
20
CHAPTER IV. ANALYSIS
A.Ellen Olenska’s character as depicted in The Age of Innocence……… 1. Open-minded………..
2. Brave………..
3. Independent………
4. Artistic………
5. Eccentric ………
B.The Description of the Patriarchal Society………
1. Male Dominance………
2. Male Identification………
3. Male Centeredness……….………
4. Obsession with Control……….
C.The Ways Ellen Olenska Rebels Against Patriarchal Society………..
1. Getting along with New York Gentlemen………
x
3. Asking for a Divorce……….. 45
CHAPTER V. CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS
A.Conclusions………
B.Suggestions………
1. Suggestion for Future Research………
2. Suggestion for English Language Teaching……… 52
54
54
54
REFERENCES………..………. 57
APPENDICES Appendix 1
Summary of The Age of Innocence………... 59
Appendix 2
Biography of Edith Wharton………..………... 62
Appendix 3
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ABSTRACT
Lestari, Maria Eka. 2011. A Study of Rebellion against Patriarchal Society as Seen in the Character of Ellen Olenska in Edith Wharton’s The Age of Innocence. Yogyakarta: English Language Education Study Program, Sanata Dharma University.
This study analyses Edith Wharton’s novel entitled The Age of Innocence.
This study is concerned with Ellen Olenska, an unconventional woman who rebels against the Old New York society which still embraces patriarchal concept of womanhood.
There are three problems stated in this study. They are (1) how is Ellen Olenska’s character depicted in The Age of Innocence?, (2) how is the patriarchal society depicted in the novel?, and (3) how does Ellen Olenska rebel against patriarchal society in the novel?
The method employed in this study is library research. I obtained the sources from the novel itself, criticism on the novel, and other sources relevant to this study, the theory of character and characterization, the theory of patriarchal society characteristic and America scenes in the nineteenth century. I used the sociocultural-historical approach to examine the society and its condition related to patriarchal concept.
The analysis of the major character shows that Ellen Olenska is open-minded, brave, independent, artistic, and eccentric. She lives in the society which still holds patriarchal system and sticks with its custom and tradition. It is the Old New York society whose members are all people that come from honored and respectable families. Furthermore, the characteristics of this society are male dominance, male identification, male centeredness, and obsession with control. Ellen is too different to live among them. She goes against them by breaking social customs of Old New York and getting along with New York gentlemen. This is considered unconventional by the society. Lastly, she also asks for a divorce and causes her family in disgrace.
xii ABSTRAK
Lestari, Maria Eka. 2011. A Study of Rebellion against Patriarchal Society as Seen in the Character of Ellen Olenska in Edith Wharton’s The Age of Innocence. Yogyakarta: Program Studi Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris, Universitas Sanata Dharma.
Studi ini meng0analisa novel Edith Wharton yang berjudul The Age of Innocence. Studi ini mengenai Ellen Olenska, seorang wanita yang tidak konvensionil di dalam masyarakat. Dia acap kali memberontak melawan aturan di masyarakat New York yang masih memegang teguh konsep masyarakat patriarkal.
Terdapat tiga masalah yang dianalisa dalam studi ini. Yaitu: (1) bagaimana tokoh Elen Olenska digambarkan di dalam The Age of Innocence?, (2) bagaimana masyarakat patriarkal digambarkan di dalam novel?, dan (3) bagaimana Ellen memberontak melawan masyarakat patriarkal di dalam novel?.
Metode yang digunakan dalam studi ini adalah studi pustaka. Sumber-sumber yang digunakan adalah novel itu sendiri, kritik-kritik dari novel serta sumber-sumber lain yang berkaitan dengan studi ini termasuk di dalamnya teori tokoh dan penokohan, teori karakter masyarakat patriarkal dan gambaran Amerika di abad sembilan belas. Pendekatan sosiokultur-historis digunakan untuk menganalisa kehidupan masyarakat beserta kondisinya yang berhubungan dengan konsep patriarkal.
Analisa terhadap tokoh utama menunjukan bahwa Ellen Olenska adalah seorang yang berpikiran terbuka, pemberani, mandiri, berjiwa seni, dan eksentrik. Dia hidup dalam masyarakat yang masih memegang teguh sistem patriarkal dengan adat istiadat dan tradisi yang masih melekat kuat. Ini merupakan masyarakat New York dimana orang-orang yang tinggal di dalamnya berasal dari keluarga terhomat dan terpandang. Selanjutnya, masyarakat ini juga mempunyai beberapa karakteristik antara lain dominasi laki-laki, identifikasi laki-laki, pemusatan terhadap laki-laki, dan kontrol dengan kuat oleh laki-laki. Ellen terlalu berbeda untuk hidup di tengah-tengah mereka. Dia melawannya dengan melanggar aturan sosial di masyarakat New York dan bergaul dengan beberapa pria New York. Namun, hal ini masih dianggap tidak umum oleh masyarakat. Kemudian, dia juga meminta cerai kepada suaminya yang membuat malu keluarganya.
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CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION
This chapter consists of five parts, namely background of the study,
objective of the study, problem formulation, benefits of the study, and definition
of terms. The background of the study contains the reason in choosing the novel
The Age of Innocence as the subject of the study. The objectives of the study deal with the purposes of the study. In addition, there are three problem formulations
to answer. The benefits of the study try to exemplify advantages to the readers.
The last is the definition of terms which defines significant terms in this study.
A. Background of the Study
Nowadays women in a certain society are considered still as human beings
that need protection and consolation from men. Therefore, women are not allowed
to do ‘outside’ works. Women are supposed to stay at home and do household
chores such as cooking, cleaning the house, and taking care of the children.
Whereas, men do the ‘outside’ work to earn money for the family (Swerdloff 9).
As time goes by, many women think that they are considered to be second
class citizens. Women begin to think that they deserve more than they have
already had. They want to experience the world outside the home just like the men
do. They want to speak in front of two sexes freely. Here, women have found
such ways to speak out and show their aspirations. One of them is through
writing. By writing, they express their thoughts, feelings, and aspirations about
Historically in America in the 19th century women’s voice and opinion
were not simply heard. The fictional works written by women were largely
excluded from the standard of literature. Woman writers were expected to write in
the same standard of feminine propriety as they lived their lives, and as a result,
women at that time could not express their feeling freely since there were many
restrictions and boundaries for them to obey (Bishop 49-50). However, many
great women writers dared to break this rule to show their existence in voicing
aspirations for women.
Edith Wharton is one of the greatest women writers who focused her
writings mainly on women. She included women as dominant characters in most
of her works. Wharton’s central subjects are typically the conflicts between social
and individual fulfillment, marriage, repressed sexuality, and the manners of old
families. She wrote many novels, short stories, and poems. Wharton best novel is
The Age of Innocence. This novel sets in the changing of the world of American’s post-Civil War era and reflects the conventions of ‘Old New York’ in New York
1870s society.
The Age of Innocence is a story about a love triangle between a New York lawyer named Newland Archer, an unconventional Ellen Olenska, the wife of a
Polish count and Archer’s fiancée, May Welland. Archer who is already engaged
to May and works as a lawyer falls in love with Ellen Olenska when he helps her
in defending her decision to divorce her husband. A divorce or a woman leaving
her husband is considered unconventional and inappropriate. Therefore, when it
The Age of Innocence is interesting to discuss and analyze since it reveals events that remain in the patriarchal and aristocratic society of old New York.
This novel presents that the society where Ellen lives, ignores reality, pretends to
act innocently, and decides who is socially acceptable to associate with, how to
behave and who to marry according to the class structure. Women at this era
cannot speak freely and think independently.
As a patriarchal society, Ellen’s New York society has a concept
concerning women called the concept of womanhood. This concept limits
women’s attitude. According to this concept, it is believed that the standard of a
good woman “starts as a virtuous, obedient daughter and ends as a submissive
wife and nurturing mother” (Gorsky 3). Women must have piety, purity,
submissiveness, and domesticity. This concept also arranges women in the
marriage. The wife must act as “pure, charming, sympathetic, domestic, self
-sacrificing, subservient, selfless creature” (Gorsky 25). “With no legal existence
separate from her husband, a woman could not sign contracts, own property, or
sue for divorce, and had no rights over her children” (26).
In Old New York, beside the basic patriarchal concept of womanhood,
women also have to be pure and innocent, pretending not to know the occasional
unpleasantness of reality. This is the concept of womanhood that Ellen is against.
Ellen Olenska returns to New York to learn and to love the atmosphere of New
York. She thinks she can feel safe and comfortable in the middle of her family and
childhood friends. Ironically, her society judges “poor Ellen” as a “bad” woman
only because she is different from the other women in the way of thinking,
towards her, she realizes that New York is not as “innocent” as it seems. Rather
than suppressing her feelings and beliefs, she rebels against the society’s
“innocent” masquerade.
Based on the facts described above, it is interesting to find out how Ellen
Olenska’s rebellion against the patriarchal concept of womanhood in Edith
Wharton’s The Age of Innocence. By knowing Ellen Olenska’s rebellion against her society, a clear perceptive about the features of the society which is patriarchal
society can be stated.
B. Problem Formulation
There are three problems formulated in this study. They are:
1. How is Ellen Olenska’s character depicted in the novel?
2. How is the patriarchal society depicted in the novel?
3. How does Ellen Olenska rebel against patriarchal society in the novel?
C. Objectives of the Study
The purposes of this study are first to describe the characters of the main
character, Ellen Olenska, and to prove the existence of the patriarchal concept of
womanhood in Ellen’s society. Therefore, it can be figured out how patriarchal
society looks like. Second, it is also to find out the reason of her rebellion as well.
Third, the purpose of this study is also to reveal the ways Ellen Olenska shows her
D. Benefits of the Study
Through the study of Edith Wharton’s work, The Age of Innocence, I look forward to having the readers especially the students of English Language
Education Study Program be more encouraged to discuss and analyze Edith
Wharton’ works, especially The Age of Innocence. As a great female writer, she had written many literary works, not only novels but also short stories, poetry,
articles, translations, introductions, and reviews of poems. Her works are
reasonable to discuss since most of them are always inspiring.
In The Age of Innocence, Ellen Olenska dares to rebel against patriarchal concept of womanhood even though her family does not support her. She has the
courage to break the rules of her society, the patriarchal society. The people
within the patriarchal society try to change her into a woman that is appropriate
with their concept of a good woman but she refuses to do so. She knows what is
best for her. Therefore, I expect the readers can appreciate and learn something
from her brave action to rebel against the patriarchal concept of womanhood. I
believe that by reading this study, which concerns about women’s issues, the
readers will have a better awareness toward women’s existence and women’s
rights as well.
E. Definition of Term 1. Society
Landis defines society as a number of people who have lived together long
(53). This term is used to discuss the Old New York society with their ways of
living and custom.
2. Patriarchal society
Patriarchal society is society where male-dominated structures and social
arrangements elaborate the domination of women (Gorsky 56). In this study,
patriarchal society is used for finding out what kind of society it is in the novel as
well as defining the womanhood concept which is the qualities of being a good
woman.
3. Victorian Era
According to Horby’s Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary of Current English, Victorian Era means period in history starting from a particular event or time and period in history marked by an important event or development (406).
Victorian Era refers to the reign of Queen Victoria of England which also
influences American society in the period of 1830 to 1901.
4. Character
Abrams in his Glossary of Literature Terms defines a character as a person presented in a dramatic or narrative work. This person is interpreted by the reader
as having a good feature or quality with moral and dispositional qualities. Those
are expressed in what the person says; his or her dialogue, and by what he or she
does through the action (23).
In this study the term character has two meanings. It means the person that
becomes the focus of the novel and who is firstly described deeply through
psychological traits which concern with their emotion, intellectuality, feeling and
CHAPTER II
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
This chapter is divided into two parts. The first part concerns with theories
of literature, which particularly explain some theories of literature that are
employed in this study. The theories included are theory of character and
characterization, theory of the critical approach, and theory of patriarchal society.
The second part of this chapter deals with the theoretical framework of this study.
A. Theoretical Review 1. The Critical Approach
Rohrberger and Woods in Reading and Writing about Literature (6-13) divide the theory of the critical approach into five approaches as means of
observing a novel. These approaches are to provide the means to understand the
positive esthetic values of literary works. The first approach totally emphasizes on
the literary work without reference to its social background and focuses on its
esthetic value and is concerned with the harmony of all parts to the whole. The
second is the biographical approach which argues that it is important to appreciate
the ideas and personality of the author to an understanding of the literary subject.
The third is sociocultural-historical approach which leads to analyze a novel in
reference to the civilization or attitudes and action of specific group of people that
produce the novel. The fourth is mythopoeic approach which tries to discuss
certain recurrent patterns of human thoughts in significant work of art with
expressions basic to human thought and have meaning for all men. While the fifth
is psychological approach which leads to analyze the novel from the
psychological point of view of human beings. That is from the organizations of
thought and feeling of the character.
This study only applies one approach proposed by Rohrberger and Woods
which is Sociocultural-historical approach. According to Rohrberger and Woods
socio-historical approach is approach that inserts the real condition of social and
historical background which influences the author in making the novel, because
the work itself cannot be separated from the social milieu and history when work
is created (9-10).
2. Theory of Character and Characterization
As this study aims to explore the main character’s action, it is essential to
analyze the characters of Ellen Olenska. At this point, understanding and
analyzing Ellen Olenska’s characters may show how characters influence her
actions to rebel against patriarchal society. The theories of character used in this
study are proposed by Abrams, Stanton, and Kenney. Moreover, the theory of
characterization proposed by Murphy is also employed. Both theories are used
since they are appropriate for describing the characteristics of the main character
in this novel.
a. Character
According to Abrams, character is described as the person presented in a
dramatic or narrative work, who is represented by the reader as being endowed
with moral and disposition qualities expressed on what they say or the dialogue
and what they do or the action (20). Character is the significant element in the
ways (17). First, character designates the individual who appears in the story.
Second, character refers to the mixture of interests, desires, emotions and moral
principles that make up each individual in the story. It implies that the term
“character” represents the individual and his personality traits in the story.
Kenney (45) classifies traits that build up the whole character into three
types. The first is social traits. According to Kenney, social traits are related to the
character’s role in society, for example the relationship with groups or
institutions, which are recognized by society. The second one is physical traits.
They are closely related to the physical appearance of the character. The last one
is psychological traits. They discern the emotion, intellectuality, feeling, and
motivation of the character.
b. Characterization
Ellen Olenska is the main character of the novel. Here the theory of
characterization is used to explore how the main character acts and how the author
describes the main character in the novel. Moreover, in order to present the
character in the story to be a believable person, the author can use many ways to
make the characteristics understandable by the reader.
Murphy in his book Understanding Unseen proposes nine types of description in which an author attempts to present the character in the story as
understandable and alive for the readers (161-173). The methods of character’s
description are:
1) Personal description
2) Character as seen by another
The author describes the character through the eyes of other characters so that the
readers can get a reflected image (162).
3) Speech
The author describes the character through what other characters say about that
certain character (164).
4) Past life
The author lets the readers learn about the characters past life by giving them
clues through his comment, conversation, or through the medium of another
character (166).
5) Conversation of others
The author gives the readers clues about character through the conversation of
other characters and what they say about him or her (167).
6) Reactions
The author lets the readers know about the character’s personalities through his or
her reaction toward various situations or events (168).
7) Direct comment
The author gives comment on a person’s personality directly (170).
8) Thoughts
The author gives the readers direct knowledge of what a person is thinking about
and what different people are thinking (171).
9) Mannerism
The author may also tell the readers something about his characters by describing
Those are some of the ways in which the author makes the readers aware
of the personalities and the characters of the people that the author writes about in
his or her books. Knowledge of these methods can help the students to get a better
understanding and to appreciate literary works more.
3. Patriarchal Society a. Definition
Hartmann states that there are four essential elements of patriarchy. They
are heterosexual marriage, female childbearing and housework, woman’s
economic dependence on men, and the state and numerous institutions based on
social relations among men such in unions, professions, universities, churches,
and armies (14-15).
According to Andersen, patriarchy is institutionalized power relationships
that give men power over women (384). She also argues that patriarchy referring
to radical feminism is a “sexual system of power in which the male possesses
superior power and economic privilege” and, they view patriarchy as an
autonomous social, historical, and political force (356).
Patriarchal society is then defined as a society in which authority in the
family is vested in males through whom descent and inheritance are traced. In its
secondary meaning patriarchal refers to a society that in modern times still has an
incomplete social structure and retains archaic or traditional forms of hierarchical
family relations (dominated by males), property relations, and economic life
b. The Characteristics of Patriarchal Society
Patriarchal society is more than a collection of people in which men and
women participate. It is patriarchal society if it promotes male privilege by being
male dominated, male identified, and male centered. Besides those three
characteristics that patriarchal society has in its existence, it is also organized
around an obsession with control as the fourth characteristic. It involves one of
the oppression of women aspects as well (Johnson 4).
1) Male Dominance
Johnson states that patriarchal society is male dominated in authority
position of political, economic, legal, religious, educational, military, domestic
which are generally reserved by men (5). In this characteristic, people tend to
underestimate a woman when she finds her way into such positions. In
conclusion, male dominance creates power differences between men and women.
In other word, male dominance promotes the idea that men are superior to women
(Johnson 6).
2) Male Identification
“Patriarchal societies are male identified in that core cultural ideas about
what is considered good, desirable, preferable, or normal are associated with how
we think about men and masculinity (Johnson 6)”. This is the second character of
patriarchal society that presents another aspect as well which is about the cultural
description of masculinity and the ideal man in terms. It closely resembles the
core values of society as a whole including qualities such as control, strength,
competitiveness, toughness, coolness, under pressure, logic, forcefulness,
emotion (Johnson 7). Moreover, according to Johnson, male-identified qualities
are associated with the work valued in patriarchal society such as in business,
politics, war, athletics, law, and medicine (7).
3) Male Centeredness
In addition to being male dominated and male identified, patriarchal
society is male centered, which means that the focus of attention is primarily on
men and what they do (Johnson 8). In this regard, women are portrayed as
creatures who are fussing their support work of domestic labor, maintaining
loving relationships, taking care of children and providing services for men.
4) Obsession with Control
The fourth characteristic of patriarchal society is an obsession with control
as a core value around which social life is organized. Johnson states that control is
an essential element of patriarchy (12). It means that men maintain privilege by
controlling women and anyone else who might threaten it. In this characteristic
men are assumed and expected to be in control at all times, to be unemotional, to
present themselves as invulnerable, autonomous, independent, strong, rational,
logical, dispassionate, knowledgeable, always right, and in command of every
situation, especially those involving women (Johnson 12). Women, in contrast,
are assumed and expected to be the opposite, especially in relation to men.
c. Victorian American Scene in Nineteenth Century
The nineteenth century is also known as Victorian Era according to the
reign of Queen Victoria in England. This is the setting of time when the novel was
background that lead to the clear understanding of the novel itself. The Victorian
society and characteristics of Victorian women are described in this part.
1) The Victorian Society
The family that is the smallest kinship unit in a society in Victorian era
embraced the concept of patriarchal family (Ausubel 65). Patriarchal society
viewed man as the one to hold the power of the house and the whole family.
Moreover, the husband acquired at the moment of marriage all the personal
property of his wife, such as money, animals, and goods. He was also exercising a
religious function such as saying grace at meals (Kane 61-63).
Women in Victorian time were distinctly one of subordination especially
outside the home. Within household they performed many tasks that helped keep
the family afloat economically, such as sewing, baking, cooking cleaning, making
soap, candles. They were teachers and nurses. The other task was to transmit
household skills to their daughters, since schools above the elementary level were
predominantly boys and emphasized only a classical curriculum.
The subordination of women was reflected in the laws prevailing in the
nineteenth century. The husband had an entire legal right to his wife and could use
gentle legal means to constrain her liberty. He had to a sole right to remedies of
legal wrongs done to his wife. The woman could not sue alone, and she lost
complete control over her property as long as the marriage continued (Kane
2) The Victorian Women
The descriptions of Victorian women presented here are the proper
behavior and duties of a woman. Every woman in Victorian time must have had
behavior and duties according to the society’s expectations.
Victorian women were supposed to be good mothers, domestic paragons,
and when they had enough money, they had to be benevolent contributors to
society. They were supposed to be demure and well spoken, beautiful yet seen and
less frequently heard. They were not allowed to work outside the home or to
support themselves (Swisher 154). The ideal Victorian women were a pious, pure,
and above all submissive.
In the Victorian Era, parents trained their daughters for the preparation of
marriage intensively. The training consisted of various trainings in order to attract
men who were potential to be their husbands. There were three main aspects that
became the important tools to accomplish their purpose, which were music,
drawing, and French.
The demand for the girls in the Victorian Era like this occurred to fulfill
the taste of Victorian bachelors. They needed the girls to be innocent or at least
give impression that they look innocent. It could be done when the girls wear
white colored outfit that represented the form of virginity and purity. Not only
white, the girls also liked to dress in blue or pink to show similar sense (Swisher
184).
Excluded from the world of business and commerce, many middle-and
upper class women devoted considerable time and energy to decorate their homes
social clubs, tried out new fashions in street promenading, and had fun and
excitement in neighborhood dance halls and amusement park excursions (Boyer
690). As a result, women in this era should play as proper women.
Furthermore, the position of women in Victorian society presents a
dilemma since they were said as the most active and responsible individuals in the
eighteenth century and they turned into the most intellectually confined and
domestic creatures in the nineteenth century. It was found by Frenchman Alexis
de Tocqueville who travelled in America in 1830 that Victorian women were
much more independent and self-assertive before marriage (Abbot 13).
Meanwhile, Victorian women understood the constraints that marriage
imposed on freedom. Furthermore, they also willingly accepted the social
restrictions that put into effect a domestic model of marriage. The Victorian
marriage was a patriarchal authorial institution where the husband was a family
protector and representative, while the mother was to be submissive and fruitful.
The Victorian family was also a patriarchal one in which a husband has a full
control over his wife in the eyes of law (13). For instance, a man could divorce a
merely woman on the views of adultery. However, a woman had to prove her
husband guilty of adultery if she wanted to ask for divorce. Moreover, for
Victorian women, divorce was not only expensive but also very hard to do as
well. Women and men stayed in unhappy marriages because of numerous reasons.
Many stayed away from divorce because of the stigma attached to divorced
women. It was also considered as societal taboo (Abbot 45).
Another life aspect that is shown by Victorian women is their behaviors
feminine behaviors which promoted idleness, passivity, and gentility. It brought
influence to American women especially middle-class women. They were being
encouraged to act like aristocrats, scorning work, and occupying activities which
had nothing to do with marketplace. For middle-class women, this new behavior
was connected to commercial wealth which dealt with conspicuous consumption
of large houses, staffs or servants, and costly furnishing (14).
B. Theoretical Framework
This section summarizes the contribution of the theories mentioned in the
analysis of this study. The object of the study is Edith Wharton’s work titled The Age of Innocence and the problem is about patriarchal society in America nineteenth century which Ellen Olenska rebels against to. Hence, in this study
Socio-historical approach is employed to support the analysis in answering the
problem above. Meanwhile, the theory of character and characterization is also
applied to describe Ellen Olenska’s characteristics as the main character of the
novel.
In addition to dig out more understanding about the description of how
Ellen Olenska rebels against patriarchal society as well as the picture of the
society itself, theory of patriarchy, the characteristics of patriarchal society, and
the descriptions of socio-cultural background of America in nineteenth century are
employed.
After all related theories mentioned above are gained, the analysis of this
CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY
This chapter discusses the methodology in conducting the study. This
chapter consists of three parts, namely object of the study, approach of the study,
and method of the study. The first part, object of the study, discusses a brief
description of the novel. The second part, approach of the study, presents the
critical approaches used in this study. The third part, method of the study, presents
about the research procedure which discusses the steps done by the writer in
conducting the study to answer two questions stated in the problem formulation.
A. Object of the Study
This study deals with the novel which is written by Edith Wharton, The Age of Innocence. This novel was first published in 1920 and won the Pulitzer Prize in 1921. The novel analyzed in this study was published in 1994 by
Wordsworth Edition Limited. The book is divided into two parts. The first part of
the book consists of 112 pages within chapters 1-18 and the second part of the
book consists of 117 pages in chapters 19-34.
The novel has three main characters, Newland Archer, May Welland and
Ellen Olenska. Newland Archer is engaged to May Welland, but in the same time
he also falls in love with Ellen, May’s cousin. Here Newland Archer starts falling
in love with Ellen because he finds a glimpse of freedom from his conventional
rules in that an unconventional woman. Ellen is described as an unconventional
woman because she dares to break the rules of the Old New York society by
asking a divorce over her husband. It is said that the Old New York society does
not tolerate a divorce. Instead, Ellen rebels against this society which still
embraces patriarchal concept of womanhood.
B. Approach of the Study
In order to analyze the Age of Innocence, sociocultural-historical approach is applied to answer the problem formulations. The point of socio-cultural and
historical approach is giving an outlook of a literary work from its relation with
social history of certain time and place. The Age of Innocence as a literary work is
also rich of historical situations and events which describe patriarchal society of
Old New York for the period of Victoria Era. Therefore, using this approach, the
description of patriarchal society where Ellen lives during Victorian Era can be
figured out. After knowing the condition of the society, it can be seen as well the
description of Ellen’s ways to rebel against patriarchal society seen from the
historical aspects in this novel.
C. Method of the Study
There are several steps taken to analyze this study. The first step done was
choosing Edith Wharton’s The Age of Innocence as the object of the study. I read the novel repeatedly to comprehend the story deeply. After that, I decided the
topics to discuss, which are; how the major character and patriarchal society
described in the novel.
After formulating the problems, I read again the novel many times,
watched the movie adapted from the novel, and found supporting sources.
especially the theories related to patriarchal society. The next step was gathering
supporting data from various sources like books or sites in internet. Then I
merged the proofs found in the novel and also in the secondary sources to
strengthen the argument.
In the last step, I drew conclusions of the study based on result of my
analysis. Moreover, I gave some suggestions on teaching and learning process
CHAPTER IV ANALYSIS
This chapter consists of the analysis which is meant to answer the
problems formulated in Chapter I. There are three main parts in this chapter. The
first part is Ellen Olenska’s character depicted in the novel. Meanwhile, the
description of patriarchal society where Ellen Olenska lives is discussed in the
second part. Finally, the third part discusses how Ellen Olenska rebels against
patriarchal society.
A. Ellen Olenska’s character as depicted in The Age of Innocence
Character is a significant element in the work of literature like a novel.
What is meant by character in the novel is the person who is endowed with moral
and disposition qualities expressed on what they say or the dialogue and what they
do or the action (Abrams 20). In the novel The Age of Innocence, Ellen Olenska is considered as the major character because the story is seen through the journey of
her life. Based on Kenny’s theory of character, Ellen Olenska has a significant
role and particular appearance in the society.
To understand the characters in the novel, there are methods proposed by
Murphy as explained in the previous chapter. He explains that an author may
reveal the characters’ personality to the readers through methods of
characterization. The methods are personal description, characters as seen by
another, speech, past life, conversation of others, reactions, direct comment,
thoughts and mannerism (161). To know the description of Ellen, some methods
are applied. They are past life, thought, speech, direct comment, mannerism and
conversation of others.
1. Open-minded
Ellen was born in New York, but she spends most of her life in Europe
which makes her influenced by European customs. Therefore, when she moves to
New York, the society judges her as an unconventional woman because of her
manners, habits, and her way of thinking are like Europeans.
"I'm afraid Ellen's ideas are not at all like ours. She was barely eighteen when Medora Manson took her back to Europe….That must have been at least twelve years ago; and since then Ellen has never been to America. No wonder she is completely Europeanised. (Wharton 120)"
The idea that Ellen is Europeanised is derived from conversation between Ellen’s
cousin and aunt named May and Mrs. Welland as the representative of Old New
York society. They argue that Ellen has lived in Europe for a long time. Therefore
she does not have the same ideas and manners as Americans.
By living in Europe, it is true that Ellen has different views and ideas
about many things. She is more broad-minded. The proof is found in Ellen’s
perception of Archer’s engagement to May.
“I know you think the Wellands are unreasonable about your marriage, and of course I agree with you. In Europe people don't understand our long American engagements; I suppose they are not as calm as we are.” She pronounced the "we" with a faint emphasis that gave it an ironic sound (Wharton 140).
Ellen who is accustomed to have European cultures and manners observes that
Americans believe in the long engagement before getting married but Europeans
who still hold onto a long engagement before getting married are the slave of such
absurd superstitions. The example of that superstition can be seen from May’s
way of thinking that a marriage in such haste leads to a bad sign (Wharton 140).
Another one of Ellen’s open-minded characteristics is revealed through
her speech. This can be seen when she explicitly talks about woman’s sexual
needs with Archer, her future cousin. She assumes that women in New York act
innocently and passively that they apparently never want to feel sexual needs.
They consider that being pleased sexually is a blessing from God.
"You mean--I'm so evidently helpless and defenceless? What a poor thing you must all think me! But women here seem not--seem never to feel the need: any more than the blessed in heaven. (Wharton 109)"
Ellen is open to state her idea about women and sex; on the contrary Archer
pretends not to understand by asking what sort of a need Ellen is talking about
(Wharton 109). By considering her speech and manners it can be said that Ellen is
open-minded.
2. Brave
Ellen is very unconventional. She spends most of her past life living in
different places outside America. That is why she is quite different from other
women in Old New York society (Wharton 38). She is brave and straightforward
in saying her opinion.
She said it in the simplest manner, as if she had said: "He's fond of wild-flowers"; and after a moment she added candidly: "I think he's the dullest man I ever met."
In the novel, Ellen bravely says that the van der Luyden is the dullest man she
ever meets. No doubt, van der Luyden is an honored man in Old New York that
everybody always gives enormous respect to him. It is seen from Archer’s thought
that no one will dare to give horrific opinion about van der Luyden. However,
Archer notices Ellen’s straightforward opinion is a rare thing that ladies in Old
New York will ever consider to do.
Archer’s reaction towards Ellen also proves that she is a brave woman in
every situation. Archer is surprised when he knows that Ellen stays at the Parker
House for two days without bringing her servant, named Nastasia.
"Nastasia; but isn't she with you?"
"No; I'm alone. For two days it was not worth while to bring her." "You're alone--at the Parker House?"
She looked at him with a flash of her old malice. "Does it strike you as dangerous?"
"No; not dangerous—
"But unconventional? I see; I suppose it is." She considered a moment (Wharton 193)".
What Ellen does is considered as a dangerous action. However, Ellen fearlessly
does not state it as something dangerous but unconventional. Women are seen as
weak creatures in Old New York. Therefore, they are not supposed to go out alone
without any escorts especially in an outlandish place like the Parker House where
Ellen stays (Wharton 192). From the above proof, it can be concluded that Ellen is
brave woman who dares to take any risks while living in New York.
3. Independent
When Ellen’s marriage has ended in disaster, she decides to leave Europe,
with Lovell Mingott for a couple of days. Afterward she comes to a decision to
buy her own house.
“I like the little house," she admitted; "but I suppose what I like is the blessedness of its being here, in my own country and my own town; and then, of being alone in it. She spoke so low that he hardly heard the last phrase; but in his awkwardness he took it up.
"You like so much to be alone?"
"Yes; as long as my friends keep me from feeling lonely (Wharton 57)."
As Ellen walks around with Mr. Beaufort, she describes a kind of life she wants to
have in New York. It shows from Ellen’s thought that she wishes for starting a
new life in a safe and comfortable place that she feels she belongs to. She also
states her desires to live by herself in a little house. However, it is described in the
novel that married women do not live alone, they have to stay under their
husbands’ roof. If a married woman does not stay in the same house with her
husband, the society will judge her as a disgrace woman who makes a fatal
mistake (Wharton 221). Compared to May Welland who is said as a frank woman
with nothing to conceal and assure, Ellen is an independent woman, since she
dares to take a risk of living alone even Ellen status is still Count Olenski’s wife.
Ellen also commits something unconventional to show that her life does
not depend on someone else’s help. Ellen’s speech proves her independency by
refusing amount of money that belongs to her.
"But unconventional? I see; I suppose it is." She considered a moment."I hadn't thought of it, because I've just done something so much more unconventional." The faint tinge of irony lingered in her eyes. "I've just refused to take back a sum of money--that belonged to me (Wharton 193)."
It is mentioned in the novel that Ellen’s husband offers some amount of money
(Wharton 194). By seeing the above proof, Ellen is considered an independent
woman.
4. Artistic
Ellen’s childhood reveals that she is raised to love and appreciate arts. She
is good at various artistic disciplines. When Ellen is a little girl, her aunt named
Medora Manson takes her to Europe to live there. In Europe, little Ellen gets an
art lesson which includes dancing, drawing, playing piano and singing. It is also a
common custom of the Victorian Era that girls are trained with such arts for
marriage preparation in order to attract their future husband. The quotation below
shows Ellen character’s through her past life.
…..possessed outlandish arts, such as dancing a Spanish shawl dance and singing Neapolitan love-songs to a guitar. Under the direction of her aunt… the little girl received an expensive but incoherent education, which included "drawing from the model," a thing never dreamed of before, and playing the piano in quintets with professional musicians (Wharton 48).
Ellen is lucky that she has a proper art education. As she is grown up,
Ellen starts to appreciate and enjoy arts in her leisure time. From Mrs. Struthers’s
speech, it can be seen that Ellen adores music as she is also a pianist who likes to
be amused as well. She is interested in enjoying a new sense of art which is
performed by a pianist she has not seen before.
Her manner to enjoy music like she used to do in Europe is still present even
though Ellen already moves to New York. It shows that Ellen wants to feel
comfortable living and doing what she likes in New York.
Besides having a good sense of music, Ellen is also clever at arranging
flowers and a drawing room. It is proven by Mr. van Der Luyden’s direct
comment on how he is astonished by Ellen’s talent of art.
She has a real gift for arranging flowers. I had sent her a few carnations from Skuytercliff, and I was astonished. Instead of massing them in big bunches as our head-gardener does, she had scattered them about loosely, here and there . . . I can't say how. The Duke had told me: he said: `Go and see how cleverly she's arranged her drawing-room.' And she has (Wharton 73).
Mr. Van der Luyden is told by The Duke that Ellen is also excellent in decorating
a drawing room. He desires to see it by himself. Furthermore he admires the way
Ellen decorates his garden. She is talented in arranging flowers that no one can. It
makes her as an admirable woman in New York. Some New York gentlemen
adore Ellen because of her excellent artistic sense. One of the gentlemen is Dr.
Carver who states that poetry and art are the breath of Ellen’s life. From the
quotations above, it can be concluded that Ellen is one of an artistic woman.
5. Eccentric
Ellen has indulgence eccentricity manners especially in the way she gets
dressed. It is obviously inherited by her aunt, named Medora Manson who takes
in charge over Ellen since her both parents die. In the novel, it is described that
Medora is repeatedly widowed. She used to leave her husband after a few months
she wants. As a matter of fact, she raises Ellen in the same way she undergoes her
life.
Every one was disposed to be kind to little Ellen Mingott, though her dusky red cheeks and tight curls gave her an air of gaiety that seemed unsuitable in a child who should still have been in black for her parents. It was one of the misguided Medora's many peculiarities to flout the unalterable rules that regulated American mourning, and when she stepped from the steamer her family were scandalised to see that the crape veil she wore for her own brother was seven inches shorter than those of her sisters-in-law, while little Ellen was in crimson merino and amber beads, like a gipsy foundling (Wharton 47).
The above quotation shows how eccentric Medora dresses little Ellen up when
there is a mourning moment right after the loss of Ellen’s parents. Hence, the
society blames Medora over her misguidance towards Ellen. Medora seems not to
care about such things since she is a free woman. This influences Ellen’s manners
and habits so she becomes an eccentric woman as she is raised by Medora. The
proof is evidently found from Mrs. Archer’s conversation with Mr. Jackson.
Mrs. Archer smiled at this confirmation of her inference. "Poor Ellen," she simply remarked; adding compassionately: "We must always bear in mind what an eccentric bringing-up Medora Manson gave her. What can you expect of a girl who was allowed to wear black satin at her coming-out ball (Wharton 31)?"
It is said that Ellen is eccentric because the way she gets dressed is very unusual
for a lady to show up at ball. They even judge her as a “Poor Ellen” because of
her eccentricity.
Archer’s thought also reveals Ellen’s eccentricity when attending the van
der Luyden’s dinner. Archer assumes that Ellen’s eccentricity gives a different
idea of typical Old New York women.
he wondered a little nervously how she would carry it off. She came rather late, one hand still ungloved, and fastening a bracelet about her wrist; yet she entered without any appearance of haste or embarrassment the drawing-room in which New York's most chosen company was somewhat awfully assembled (Wharton 48).
Ellen seems unwell-prepared for a luxurious evening dinner. It is seen from the
way she maintains her personal embellishments while the other women already
stand with their company. From the way Ellen gets dressed and perceives the
custom of Old New York, it can be drawn a conclusion that she has an eccentric
nature.
B. The Description of the Patriarchal Society
The setting of The Age of Innocence is Old New York in the 1870’s. Historically, it was in the Victorian Era in which the society still embraced the
concept of patriarchal family (Gross 355). Therefore, it can be said that Ellen’s
society is a patriarchal society which means the society where she lives holds to
the patriarchal system. This system is an institutionalized power relationships that
give men power over women (Andersen 384). According to this system, women
are forced to surrender to condition and to obey the rules of society in order to get
the reward and appreciation in the society. Meanwhile, men have a full right to
control their families and have a higher status and position in their family as well
as in their society.
In this study the patriarchal society is characterized by four aspects namely
male domination, male identification, male centeredness, and obsession with
control. They are revealed through deviations happening to some of the families
1. Male Dominance
Men generally dominate significant positions of political, economic, legal,
religious, educational, military, and domestic fields in the society as well as in the
family (Johnson 5). It can be concluded that men are superior to women in
patriarchal society. Kane states that in the nineteenth century, a husband in family
acquired, at the moment of marriage, all the personal property of his wife, such as
money, houses, and any goods she had. A husband also exercised a religious
function such as praying grace at meals. Furthermore, he was responsible for
making every decision in the family (61-63). Referring to this statement, the male
dominance of the society in the novel is analyzed.
In the novel, the patriarchal concept in Ellen’s society is portrayed by the
domination of men in the relationship between Mr. and Mrs. van der Luyden.
They are considered as an elite family who holds a recognized status in New York
society. It is also said that Mr. and Mrs. van der Luyden are categorized as having
a true aristocratic origin which belongs to the upper class. Therefore, as an
honorable family, they show to the society that their family is always seemingly
to maintain an essential principle of society. Moreover, it is a society where a
husband takes over his wife in the whole aspect of family life. Mrs. van der
Luyden’s attitude proves that she is a typical wife of patriarchal society when
Mrs. Newland and Archer whose family is going to marry Ellen’s family visit van
der Luyden family to ask for help in solving the problem of Ellen’s divorce
decision.
over with my husband."….. "I think," she said, "I should like Henry to hear what you have told me." (Wharton 41-42)
This shows that Mrs. van der Luyden is very submissive to her husband
since she does not give any comments on Ellen’s decision to get a divorce
problem. Moreover, she chooses to have a discussion first with her husband. She
thinks that her own idea is not necessarily important; on the other hand, whatever
her husband says will be the best answer to solve the problem. She always agrees
to anything her husband wants for he is the leader of the family. By conforming to
her husband Mrs. van der Luyden considers herself as a good wife. It is seen that
as a good wife, she should have a standard of feminine behaviors which promote
idleness, passivity, and gentility.
This is also described in the novel that Mr. van der Luyden comes from a
powerful and prestigious family that has a good reputation in the New York
society. Therefore, all people esteem and admire him. Because of this Mrs. van
der Luyden, as his wife, also shows her deep respect to her husband.
A footman appeared, to whom she gravely added: "If Mr. van der Luyden has finished reading the newspaper, please ask him to be kind enough to come." She said "reading the newspaper" in the tone in which a Minister's wife might have said: "Presiding at a Cabinet meeting"—not from any arrogance of mind, but because the habit of a life-time, and the attitude of her friends and relations, had led her to consider Mr. van der Luyden's least gesture as having an almost sacerdotal importance (Wharton 42).
The quotation above shows another proof that Mrs. van der Luyden treats her
husband as if he is the president. She considers her husband as an important
person with authority even in the family itself. It shows Mr. van der Luyden’s
superiority over her. This clearly describes that the society in the novel is male
2. Male Identification
Archer Newland is one of the major characters in The Age of Innocence
who has the quality of an ideal man in a patriarchal society, namely male
identified. In the novel, Archer is described to be an ideal man because he is
working as a lawyer and has married May who comes from a respectable family
of Old New York. Archer has reached an excellent achievement in his life as a
lawyer as well as politician. As he grows old, he becomes a highly regarded
gentleman in New York. Archer has a major influence on the society.
…it was in that library that the Governor of New York, coming down from Albany one evening to dine and spend the night, had turned to his host, and said, banging his clenched fist on the table and gnashing his eye-glasses: "Hang the professional politician! You're the kind of man the country wants, Archer. If the stable's ever to be cleaned out, men like you have got to lend a hand in the cleaning (Wharton 296).
As a highly regarded gentleman in New York, Archer is visited by the Governor
of New York. The Governor even states that Archer is a man who is needed by
the country. This obviously emphasizes that men always take control over the
field of politics. This position is only for men. Here, men are more competitive
towards politics while appropriate jobs for women are merely teachers and nurses
(Wharton 297).
Johnson states that men in a patriarchal society are said to be the ideal men
if they have the cultural description of masculinity which includes some qualities
such as control, strength, competitiveness, toughness, coolness, under pressure,
logic, forcefulness, decisiveness, rationality, autonomy, self-sufficiency, and
control over any emotion. Moreover, it usually deals with the work valued in
(7). Not only in the society Archer has self-sufficiency as a man, but also his
family life. Archer is a representative of an ideal man since whatever he says will
be conducted by all family members. It is presented in the novel how Archer is
the one whose decision to spend holiday in Europe tour is obeyed by his family.
He has three children who come up with different ideas how to spend the day in
Switzerland. The first child named Dallas wants to contemplate Mont Blanc while
Mary and Bill, the other children, want mountain-climbing. Yet Archer and May
are always fair to their children. They make it balance between their athletic and
artistic proclivities. Archer as the family leader declares “We’ll stick together
(Wharton 295)” as the final solution of his children various wants. The whole
family will be always together in every activity. As a result, May admires her
husband decision as a good example to the first child, Dallas (Wharton 295).
3. Male Centeredness
According to Johnson patriarchal society is male centered, which means
that the focus of attention is on men and what they do. Meanwhile, women are
only supposed to do domestic labor, take care of children and provide what men
need ( 8).
This kind of description is also found in the novel represented by the
Welland family. Every year this family has a custom to spend their time before
Winter at St. Augustine residence. Furthermore, all family members have to join
in this annual trip.
opinions but with many habits. With these habits none might interfere; and one of them demanded that his wife and daughter should always go with him on his annual journey to the south. To preserve an unbroken domesticity was essential to his peace of mind; he would not have known where his hair-brushes were, or how to provide stamps for his letters, if Mrs. Welland had not been there to tell him. (Wharton 99-100)
Mr. Welland is not able to go by himself because of his serious illness related to
the bronchial tubes. He demands all family members, Mrs. Welland and May as
his wife and daughter, to go with him on his annual trip. Mr. Welland needs them
to support domestic chores since he is weak because of his illness. Being a good
wife, Mrs. Welland also has to serve her husband satisfactorily. It is proved that
Welland’s family is the example of patriarchal system of Old New York. A
husband has a full control over his family. A husband is the leader of the family.
Meanwhile, a wife has a duty to do domestic chores and provide her husband’s
needs.
It can be seen as well that the centre of this family is Mr. Welland.
Everywhere he goes, Mrs. Welland and May have to join him.
As all the members of the family adored each other, and as Mr. Welland was the central object of their idolatry, it never occurred to his wife and May to let him go to St. Augustine alone; and his sons, who were both in the law, and could not leave New York during the winter, always joined him for Easter and travelled back with him. (Wharton 100)
The attention of this family is focused on Mr. Welland and what he does. They
never let him go anywhere alone. Even, Archer as a son in law has to come with
him too. It shows that all family members have to respect Mr. Welland as a family
leader.
The above proof explains that Mrs. Welland devotes herself to her
also inherits similar manners from her mother to give devotion to Archer by
becoming a good wife. It is also described in the novel that wives have many
activities related to household chores; one of them is sewing cushions for their
husbands (Wharton 248). Here, May does not want to miss her chance as a wife in
sewing cushions for her husband even though she is not good and clever enough
at needling.
She was not a clever needlewoman; her large capable hands were made for riding, rowing and open-air activities; but since other wives embroidered cushions for their husbands she did not wish to omit this last link in her devotion (Wharton 249).
From the quotation above, it can be inferred that May does a hard work to show
that she is a good wife for her husband. Before becoming a wife, her activities are
typically riding, rowing, and all of open-air activities, but now she has to deal
with sewing cushions as an action to devote herself for Archer. In conclusion,
male centeredness requires a wife’s devotion that is full attention for her husband.
4. Obsession with Control
Control towards women is an essential element of patriarchal society for
men to maintain privilege. Men are expected to be in control at all times, always
right, and in command of every situation, especially those involving women
(Johnson 12).
The novel shows that a man has a full right to control his family since he
has a higher status and position in the family as well as in the society.
of his wife so as to be considered as a good man. On the contrary, a wife should
not have any secrets about her life (Wharton 34).
Women also have no freedom to give their judgment. They should look
simple, frank, and innocent (Wharton 35). They are trained to believe what their
husbands tell them, while the husbands have the right to shape their wives to be
what they want. This happens to Lary Lefferts who successfully shapes his wife to
be what he wants that is becoming a simple and obedient wife. In other words, in
a marriage, it is the husband who has the authority to form his family, while the
wife should always look innocent.
Lawrence Lefferts occurred to him as the husband who had most completely realized this enviable ideal. As became the high-priest of form, he had formed a wife so completely to his own convenience that, in the most conspicuous moments of his frequent love-affairs with other men's wives, she went about in smiling unconsciousness, saying that "Lawrence was so frightfully strict"….( Wharton 35)
It is also the duty of a wife to cover any problem in the marriage. They
should behave as if there is nothing wrong in their marriage, even though the
reality says the opposite. The above quotation proves this because when Larry
Lefferts has several love-affairs with married women, his wife still claims to
others that he is a good husband. When there is a love affair between a man and a
woman, the woman is to blame. The man will only be considered foolish, while
the woman is judged as a criminal (Wharton 39). This also proves that Larry
Lefferts is the model of a man in patriarchal society who has obsession to control
his family by shaping and forming his wife to be innocent and frank. Therefore, it
gives him benefits to make love affairs freely without being known by his
The almost similar case also happens to Julianus Beaufort’s family which
is one of the wealthy families in Old New York. The novel describes that Mr.
Beaufort disappears suddenly from New York. No one knows where he is. He
leaves his wife, Regina, who suffers a serious condition of stroke. While the
society is gossiping about her husband leaving, Regina seems always to show up
her backing up and covering the issue in order to preserve husband outrageous
dishonor (Wharton 229-231).
All of the above proofs show a woman duty is always at the husband’s
side in every situation. When the husband is in miserable condition, the wife is
supposed to always support him. It is the proof of obsession with control in the
patriarchal society since in the case of Regina who is always under her husband’s
authority and a shield of the husband’s disg
