# Chapter XXI explained — The Age of Innocence

> Chapter companion for The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton.

## What happens

At the Beaufort garden-party, Archer watches May win the archery contest, but feels a troubling emptiness beneath her 'niceness.' He and May visit old Mrs. Mingott, who reveals that Ellen Olenska is visiting. Archer goes to fetch Ellen from the shore, and the sight of her reawakens his past feelings.

## Themes in this chapter

### Illusion vs. Reality

Archer questions whether May's 'niceness' is a mere curtain hiding emptiness, contrasting the surface perfection of society with deeper truths.

### Sacrifice and Renunciation

Medora speaks of marriage as 'one long sacrifice,' and Archer reflects on his own renunciation of Ellen.

### Social Conformity vs. Individuality

Archer feels out of step with the cheerful social scene, and Ellen's withdrawal from Newport society highlights her nonconformity.

## Character check-ins

### Newland Archer

Feels a shiver of doubt about May's 'niceness' and experiences a resurgence of emotion upon seeing Ellen.

### May Welland

Wins the archery contest with grace and simplicity, but Archer senses a hidden emptiness.

### Ellen Olenska

Visiting her grandmother, Mrs. Mingott; she is seen standing alone at the shore, evoking Archer's memories.

### Mrs. Manson Mingott

Receives Archer and May warmly, jokes about May's blushes, and sends Archer to fetch Ellen.

### Medora Manson

Flutters about at the party, speaks of Ellen's reclusive state and her own contrasting lifestyle.

### Julius Beaufort

Hosts the garden-party; makes a dismissive remark about May's archery skill.

## Key lines

> What if 'niceness' carried to that supreme degree were only a negation, the curtain dropped before an emptiness?

Archer wonders if May's extreme niceness is just a cover for a lack of depth or substance.

_Reveals Archer's growing doubt about his marriage and May's true nature._

> The idea that he could ever, in his senses, have dreamed of marrying the Countess Olenska had become almost unthinkable, and she remained in his memory simply as the most plaintive and poignant of a line of ghosts.

Archer has convinced himself that his earlier desire to marry Ellen was a folly, and he now thinks of her as a sad memory.

_Shows Archer's attempt to suppress his feelings for Ellen, which are about to be reawakened._

> But marriage is one long sacrifice, as I used often to remind my Ellen—

Medora says that marriage requires constant self-denial, a lesson she often told Ellen.

_Foreshadows the theme of sacrifice in Archer's and Ellen's lives._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_age_of_innocence_se/chapters/xxi
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_age_of_innocence_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_age_of_innocence_se/chapters