The Age of Innocence Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Age of Innocence - Essay Example He applies the brakes at the last minute. Among the early indications given that Archer may just defy social conventions and give in to the dictates of his heart are the kind of thoughts that run through his mind in New York as he prepares for the meeting with Ellen Olenska in Paris. This is a pivotal scene in the story, which puts Archer on a crossroad: Should he continue to live according to the strict moral code of his society, alone and unloved? Or will he dare these social tenets and be united and happy with his one true love, never mind if the tongue of society which looks down on Ellen as â€Å"different† keep wagging? Anyway, they could live in Paris if the situation calls for it. Part of Archer’s heart says the latter is the better option, since the thoughts of Ellen has persistently troubled him for most of the past 30 years and prevented him from forming liaison with any other women since his wife May died. The conditions now seem right for this decision, too. Archer’s son Dallas, who brings him to Paris for the meeting with Ellen, encourages his father to do it. Dallas confesses that before his mother May died, she told him how she knew that Archer married her with a broken heart and suggested that Dallas help his father reunite with Ellen when she is gone. This revelation only makes a renewed relationship with Ellen more attractive because Archer knows then that in so doing he would not be violating the memory of his wife May. In short, everything is set for Archer and Ellen to end up in each other’s arms. When at last Archer is in Paris about to meet Ellen, he is thus described as feeling â€Å"his heart beating with the confusion and eagerness of youth.† Meanwhile, Ellen herself is shown to be receptive to the love-is-lovelier-the-second-time-around idea as she waits â€Å"a few streets away, a few hours away,† thinking: â€Å"There was nothing now to keep her and her Archer