Henry James Daisy Miller and Edith Whartons The Age of Innocence Essa

Both Daisy Miller by Henry James and The Age of Innocence, based on the novel by Edith Wharton are either social commentaries or love stories set in corrupt society. The male leads, Newland Archer and Winterbourne, help to show, assuming the goal is commentary, the crooked and frivolous nature of society. Newland and Winterbournes stories and characters run on corresponding motives, as they are the offspring of that society. Each character has an affair. Winterbournes is subtle, presented more as his single interest, but it is told that his presence in Geneva (at some(prenominal) the starting and end of the novel) is for the purpose of studying, but when certain persons spoke of him they affirmed that the source of his spending so much time at Geneva was that he was extremely devoted to a lady who lived therea foreign ladya person older than himself (Part I.) As Winterbourne is extremely devoted, so his time with Daisy must be considered an affair, whether or not it amounted to anything more than flirtation. Newlands affair is more obvious, as both May, his wife, and Ellen, his secret love, play major roles in the story. However, it is difficult to assign blame to either populace for his affair, for severally is a paragon gentleman who cares deeply about the honor of the women in his life. Winterbourne is bound by his gentlemans manners to preserve the societal position of Daisy. In Part II, when Daisy is walking on the streets of Rome with two gentlemen, Winterbourne shows that he does care for Daisys honor Does Mr. Winterbourne think, she asked slowly, smiling, throwing back her notch, and glancing at him from head to foot, that, to save my reputation, I ought to get into the carriage? W... ...e were safe with you, and always would be. Because once, when she asked you to, you gave up the thing you wanted most. However, though both mens affairs are kn cause, they are never openly criticized. Both Newland and Winterbou rne are rich, tall men who have been involved in affairs. But yet, we perceive them both in a positive light. We see Winterbourne as a man carried along for an exciting journey through his affection for Daisy, and Archer as the finest gentlemen torn between two women. The attitude that is allowed by the authors suggests that men are permitted affairs, while women require the protection of the men that might betray them. highschool society, at the time, was polite, charming, and secret. No one spoke ill of another publicly, though each and every member of society was allowed, and seemingly encouraged, to make their own assumptions.