POSITION OF WOMAN IN THE EARLY OF 20TH CENTURY
REFLECTED IN EDITH WHARTON’S NOVEL THE AGE OF
INNOCENCE
POSISI PEREMPUAN PADA AWAL ABAD 20 DALAM NOVEL EDITH
WHARTON THE AGE OF INNOCENCE
By: Hasnani
Abstrak
Perempuan Amerika kelas menengah atas pada
awal abad 20 disebut “perempuan baru”.
Penelitian ini bertujuan mendeskripsikan latar
belakang social budaya perempuan kelas
menengah atas; dan untuk mengetahui posisi
perempuan di Amerika (New York) yang
direfleksikan dalam novel The Age of
Innocence. Penelitian ini menggunakan
penelitian pustaka. Penelitian ini menggunakan
teori sosiologi untuk menganalisis latar belakang
sosial budaya perempuan kelas menengah atas
yang terdapat pada novel tersebut. Data
dianalisis secara deskriptif. Hasil penelitian
menunjukkan tiga aspek latar belakang sosila
budaya perempuan kelas menengah atas pada
akhir abad ke-19 dan awal abad ke-20, yaitu
perempuan dalam pedidikan, permpuan dalam
pernikahan dan perempuan dalam kehidupan
social. Penelitian ini juga menunjukkan
korelasi latar belakang sosial budaya
perempuan kelas menengah atas pada saat itu
dengan yang direfleksikan dalam novel The Age
of Innocence.
Kata kunci: sosiologi, posisi perempuan dan
patriarki.
Abstract
Upper middle class of American women in the
early of 20th century in United Stated was
called the “new woman”. This research aimed
(1) to describe the socio-cultural background of
upper middle class women; (2) to investigate
the position of women in the United Stated of
America (New York) which was reflected in the
novels The Age of Innocence. The research
used the library study. The data were analyzed
using the sociological theory in order to
describe the women’s position in the novel. The
sociological theory was used to analyze the
socio-cultural background of the upper
middle-class women, which was depicted in two
novels. The result of the research represented
three aspects of socio-cultural background of
upper middle class women in the late of 19th
and the early of 20th century; namely, women
in education, women in marriage and women in
social life. The research also revealed the socio-
cultural background of upper middle-class
women in that period had been reflected in The
Age of Innocence novel.
Key words: sociology, position of women and
patriarchy
A. INTRODUCTION
the population in New York is divided
American society in 19th
into several social stratums and the rich
century in the United Stated was
people. In this period, many of authors
characterized by diversity. In Western
also produce great literary work, Edith
area, women tried to fight to get their
Wharton, one of the authors that present
rights as human beings. Besides fighting
literary work The Age of Innocence
about voting rights, American women,
related to social condition at the time.
upper middle class called the "new
Wharton (1996), presents a picture of
woman", in the last quarter of the 19th
upper-middle class New York society in
century began joining social
the 1870s to 1920. The novel The Age of
organizations. The women's movement
Innocence concentrates on the
in America began to emerge in the mid
American, precisely on New York
of 19th century; emancipation, equality
society. Wharton shows how class of
and elimination of discrimination
society controlled all aspects of life of
against women were their demands
Americans, as also stated by Pessen
(Buhle, 1983). When passed in 1920,
(1990), that The Age of Innocence shows
the nineteenth amendment gave women
the conflict of transition before and after
the right to vote. Surprisingly, some
World War I, with a main theme being
women didn’t want the vote. According
the right people, following the correct
to Benner (2004), states that a
rule, and marrying into the acceptable
widespread attitude was those women’s
families.
roles and men’s roles did not overlap.
DeBorde (2005), explores the
This idea of “separate spheres” held
dichotomy of culture and psychological
that women should concern themselves
landscape in Edith Wharton’s The Age
with home, children, and religion, while
of Innocence. She considered how Ms.
men took care of business and politics.
Wharton often employed dichotomy in
In Eastern area of America
particularly in New York 1870, her own life: her role as socialite
during the late 19th century, and author, woman of old New York
and European maverick. Similarly, in
was called the Gilded Age. As one of the
The Age of Innocence, Ellen and May
consequences of the new phenomena,
are completely opposite representations
of life and culture in the 1870’s who
cannot coexist happily together.
Wharton draws the motifs of water
and fire. May represented as water
and Ellen is fire.
As a reflection of the society at the
time, literature cannot be separated to
the society. The clear definition of
sociology is also shown by Laurenson
and Swingwood (1972), said that
sociology is the essentially the scientific,
objective study of man in society, the
study of social institutions and of social
processes; it seeks to answer the
question of how society is possible,
how it works, why it persist (Laurenson
and Swingewood, 1972). Sociology is
the word or the speaking about society
(Doda, 2005). Literature focuses on
problem of human being, literature and
human’s life influence each other,
because literature talks about struggle
of human being from time to time.
According to Laurenson and
Swingewood (1972), there are three
perspectives of sociology of literature:
literary works as a mirror of the age that
becomes reflection of situation when
literary work made, literary work as
social document of the author, and
literary work as inventory of history
and socio-cultural condition. This
research aims to describe the socio-
cultural background of upper middle
class women and to investigate the
position of women in the United Stated
of America (New York) which is
reflected in the novel The Age of
Innocence.
B. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
quotations of the data accordance with
Type of Research
the problem.
This research uses descriptive
Technique of Analyzing Data
qualitative method. Descriptive
qualitative method provides an accurate In this research, the researcher
portrayal of characteristics of a will analyze the data by using
particular individual, situation, or comparative approach and sociological
group. This research means of theory. Sociological theory analyzes
discovering new meaning, describing the social cultural data in the novel.
what exists, determining the frequency Analyzing the data obtained from The
with which something occurs, and Age of Innocence novel by using
categorizing information. sociological theory. The result of
Source of Data analysis will reveal the social cultural
In this research, the source of values in the novel the Age of Innocence.
data are The Age of Innocence of Edith After finding the data the researcher
Wharton's Novel that published in 1996 analyze it to find the position of women
as primary data, and the Secondary in The Age of Innocence. Drawing
data are from other books, journal conclusion based on previous analysis.
articles, internet and other sources that
related with this research.
Method of Collecting Data
The researcher reads repeatedly
the whole or part The Age of
Innocence of Edith Wharton’s novel,
biography of the authors to understand
the content of the novel and identify
then analyze it. Collecting and studying
some of the relevant theories to the
theme of research. The research
collects some data from books, journal
articles, internet and other sources that
are related with this research. Take
notes and analyzes all the important
C. FINDINGS
Socio-Cultural background of women
in The Age of Innocence
In The Age of Innocence,
position of woman will describe in
social cultural background that consists
of some items; women in education,
women in marriage and women in social
life.
Women in Education
At the beginning of the novel,
Newland Archer as one of the male
character, who will bethe fiancé of May
Welland, already notices the limitations
of such an upbringing when he remarks
that May is indeed upbringing to become
the typical ‘princess’. She not only looks
like a ‘princess’, but she also makes this
impression on others especially her fiancé:
‘The darling!’ thought Newland
Archer, his glance flitting back to the
young girl with the lilies-of-the-
valley.’ She doesn’t even guess what
it’s all about.’ And he contemplated
her absorbed young face with a thrill
of possessorship in which pride in his
own masculine initiation was mingled
with a tender reverence for her
abysmal purity (1996:10.)
Before May Welland and Archer
engagement, Archer dreams to make her
fiancée be a cultivated person. While
Ellen Olenska’s education is quite
different from May’s upbringing. In the
novel, Ellen’s personality and the
education that she received are described
as follows:
She was a fearless and familiar little
thing, who asked disconcerting
questions, made precocious comments,
and 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
(1996:53).
The social context of Ellen lives does
not approve such an upbringing, and
though people have on pity the pretty
little girl, they also assume that she is
“loose her beauty” because of this
unusual upbringing.
Women in Marriage
In beginning of the novel,
Newland Archer arrives fashionably
late. He enters the club box of seats
reserved for young, wealthy, important
men like him. Archer gazes across the
room at May. He begins dreaming about
their future together. Archer imagines
that:
And he contemplated her own
absorbed young face with a thrill of
possessorship in which pride in his
own masculine initiation was mingled
with a tender reverence for her
abysmal purity (1996: 13)
Archer contemplates that he can guide
the May Welland, Archer proud as a
man who will introduce new things to
his ‘abysmal purity’ fiancée and Archer
hopes the he will be a ‘teacher’ for May
Welland.
it was "not the thing" to arrive early
at the opera; and what was or was not
"the thing" played a part as important
in Newland Archer's New York as the
inscrutable totem terrors that had
ruled the destinies of his forefathers
thousands of years ago (1996: 13).

Archer shares the habits and

The lives of upper class of New
expectations of social behavior within
York are governed by a set of
the narrow borders of Old New York
convention, which dictate everything
society, he defines May according to
from what wears and who early one
that context’s expectations about what
arrives at the opera. It seems that
a wife, housewife, and mother should be
everyone knows the rules and everyone
like. He gazes at a photograph of May:
enjoys the rules. May Welland finds
That terrifying product of the social
system he belonged to and believed in, comforting this system and she does not
the young girl who knew nothing and
expected everything, looked back at want to break anything from them.
him like a stranger through May
Welland's familiar features; and once
more it was borne in on him that
marriage was not the safe anchorage
D. DISCUSSION
he had been taught to think, but a This result of this research shows
voyage on uncharted seas (1996:41)
to the social cultural background of
May Welland do hope that she will get upper middle class women in the late
everything that she wants in a marriage.
of 19th to the early of 20th century to
In marriage, May performs duties as a
investigate the position of women in
wife based social code among the upper
Edith Wharton’s literary work. It is
middle class. She does not realize that
meant to reveal how Edith Wharton dealt
her ignorance makes her be 'terrifying
with “women position” at that time
product'.
which is reflected in the novel The Age
Women in Social Life of Innocence.
Women upper middle class
Then, we speak about the
prefers appearance to reality at the era
living conditions of women during
because women upper middle class
the era. Through this research, the
always display their wealth, their
researcher classifies the type of
position and their status in the society. It
women to determine the position of
is also described the narrator in the
women in society into two parts; they
beginning of the novel that:
are “old women” and “new women”.
New York was a metropolis, and
perfectly aware that in metropolises The people who try to maintaining the
social and cultural conditions in the
society called ‘old society’, and the
people who try to break or to reform the
social culture in the society called ‘new
women’. It was generally agreed that
women’s expectation in life and do not
go beyond constructing family and
bringing up children.
In The Age of Innocence, most of
women accept an injustice from their
society and victims of social conditions
in society in their era. They are also
oppressed by men who consider them
as an object. However, some of upper
middle class women seem to be
satisfied with the social culture in their
area and sometimes behave wrongly
when they accept to be an object of their
partner. Some women portrayed to try
hard and strive to serve their husband or
their love to make them ease by
degrading themselves and giving their
right. The researcher presents three
aspects of social cultural background in
both novels; women in education,
women in marriage and women in social
life.
Position of women in education,
especially position of women
informal education In The Age of
Innocence. The researcher
different positions of women
education from May Welland
Ellen Olenska. May Welland receives
the type of education that comes
closest to the ideal of the 1870s; it is
an informal education adjusting to
social rules, customs of the time
among high society women. Women
upper middle class did not care about
education. They focused to be a “lady”
based on the society. Women high class
focused to be the “the real woman”, they
learn how to cook and something related
to the household. The researcher have
depicted the conditions of women in
different sphere, domestic and public,
are unequal, it also depicted their
positions in the society.
The position of women in
marriage is represented differently in
the novel, either women as fiancée or
women and as wife. In The Age of
Innocence, women as fiancée shows
their good attitude, their beauty and their
capability in the household to their
fiancée based on the rule in the society
and women will try to lure their fiancée
in the engagement period. Women as
wife in The Age of Innocence focus to be
a good housewife or in domestic sphere,
in they do everything related to the
household. They will follow their
finds husband’s will even though the
in women disagree about the problem,
and women as wife and housewife will keep
silent whatever happen in their of condition of social cultural
household. background of two novels are different,
The position of women in social but The Age of Innocence and Siti
life in The Age of Innocence is as Nurbaya describe that position of
beautiful properties that use their women in both novels was still
wealth to get a place or position in patriarchy at the time.
society. The role of women was
mainly to arrange sophisticated, social E. CONCLUSION AND
SUGGESTION
events where men and women could
After analyzing the data, there is
meet, for example at balls and opera,
correlation between the data and the
which also involved the maintenance
grand theory that the researcher used. In
of the social codes of what was
the grand theory, it shows the social
expected that appropriate at the end of
cultural background of upper middle class
the nineteenth century. Upper middle
woman in America (New York). Then,
class women are comfortable with their
Edith Wharton represents the social
position in society; they are busy
cultural condition at the time in their
improving their social status, in spite
novels The Age of Innocence, but he has
their position with men are unequal.
different way to describe the position of
Women in The Age of Innocence are
women according to the culture and social
more concentration in beauty; most of
condition at the time. In the novel, there
them spend more time for party.
are some aspect could be analyzed in the
Nonetheless, women should behave
next researcher. For example, the role of
accordance the applicable social code of
men in the novel might give balance on
high class society or their community
the study of women position i n t h e
because they will be marginalized if
e r a . As we know that the main character
they break the culture.
is a man.
Based on the data from both
novels, the researcher concludes that
position of women in two novels is
similar in the social cultural of women
in informal education and women in
social life, but position of women in
marriage are different. Even though most
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