Unrequited Love

                  In the novel The Age of Innocence, the two main characters, Newland Archer and Ellen Olenska, are supposedly in love. Yet, I find that very hard to believe after analyzing the two individuals. I rather believe that Ellen is the only one who truly loves Archer. Archer has never loved Ellen. (Hence the title “Unrequited Love”) Archer convinces himself that he is in love with Ellen throughout the whole novel (which is frankly quite annoying.) But in reality, he actually wishes to control her. He views Ellen as a woman desperately in need of his “wise” guidance because she is not immersed into New York culture. For instance, his jealousy towards Mr. Beaufort indicates his domineering nature. He “[winces] at the joining of the names” of his and Beaufort during a conversation with Ellen because he believes that he is worthy of correcting the Countess(Wharton 65). Also, he is superficially attracted to Countess Olenska because she breaks social conventions and provides excitement. He often states that the “haunting horror of doing the same thing every day at the same time besieged his brain” so Ellen presents herself as a source of freedom and entertainment (71). Therefore, he pursues Ellen passionately and sets up expectations for her. For example, he has this expectation that Ellen will always approach him and entertain him. He depicts this expectation when he goes to fetch Ellen for Mrs. Mingott at New York. He says to himself, “If she doesn't turn before that sail crosses the Lime Rock light I'll go back.” (182). His thought reveals his belief that Ellen is responsible for providing excitement and entertainment for him. Therefore, Archer can be characterized as a selfish man who is unable to love anybody except himself. (In other words, if Archer cares only about himself, how can he have the time and heart to love somebody else?) On the other hand, Ellen deeply loves Archer and is willing to throw away her status for him. Ellen agrees to Archer's plan to “come to [him] at once” despite the scandal they could bring together (264). Also, she is able to convince Archer that he should marry May regardless of her deep desire to be with him. She is willing to sacrifice her own happiness. Furthermore, the ending of the novel supports Ellen's undying love for Archer. She awaits for Archer's visit at Paris because there are no barriers that could separate them anymore. However, Archer's desire to keep “his youthful memory of her” prevents them from reuniting (303). Ellen will most likely realize that Archer never truly loved her which makes her a tragic character. She is spurned by society, her own family, and the man who could have provided her with hope. Maybe Wharton illustrated this aspect of unrequited love because she has experienced it herself. She had a brief but passionate affair with a journalist named Morton Fullerton. Through this passionate affair, she realized that love is often romanticized and misinterpreted by many people.