The Age of Innocence is a novel by Edith Wharton about adultery in 1870s New York, presenting a tension between romance and commitment. Newland Archer is engaged to May Welland when May's more free-spirited sister Ellen arrives from Europe. After Ellen is unable to divorce her husband for Newland, Newland marries May. Living in a loveless marriage, Newland finally decides to leave May for Ellen, who is returning to Europe. However, his wife informs him that she is pregnant and he remains with her to raise his children instead.
The novel showed several themes but the most important theme is the social status of men and women The sub themes are living up with the codes and values such as loyalty duty order and tradition If we compare the situation of men and women of the past to the men and women of today we can say that people in the past exercise less freedom In the novel women are not free in a sense they cannot go out of their nut shells Their duty is to be a wife to their husbands mother to their children and know