Chapter Summary of The Age of Innocence - Study Guide by Edith Wharton

Newland takes the dark blue carriage (with the wedding varnish still on it) to pick up Ellen from the train station. They talk about all the common things and her grandmother's stroke. When they see a hearse, Ellen grabs Newland's hand for fear that the hearse is meant for Granny. But Newland assures her that Granny is fine and takes the opportunity of holding her hand to kiss it. He tells her that he hardly remembered her because, "Each time you happen to me all over again." To bring him back down to earth, Ellen comments, "This is May's carriage." Newland retaliates by mentioning Riviere and asking if he was the secretary that once rescued her. She answers "yes". Newland remarks on her honesty. Ellen says she calls them as she sees them because "she's looked at the Gorgon." [The Gorgon is a monster from Greek mythology whose stare turned victims to stone; Medusa was the most well known Gorgon.] Ellen kisses him. He says he cannot live the way he lives any longer.

Following this, there are two important passages that elucidate the theme of the novel: Archer says, "I want to get away with you into a world where words and categories don't exist. Where we shall be simply two human beings who love each other, who are the whole of life to each other; and nothing else on earth will matter." She sighed, "Oh, my dear ­ where is that country? Have you ever been there? I know so many who've tried to find it; and believe me, they all got out by mistake at wayside stations: at places like Boulogne, or Pisa, or Monte Carlo ­ and it wasn't at all different from the old world they'd left, but only rather smaller and dingier and more promiscuous." Ellen says there can never be happiness between them because it can only occur behind other's backs. Newland gets out of the carriage angrily and walks away. Newland returns for dinner. "Archer was struck by something languid and inelastic in May's attitude, and wondered if the deadly monotony of their lives had laid its weight on her." The two discuss the same commonplace gossip. Newland decides to read some history instead of poetry because he hates listening to the way May analyses poetry. And May does her embroidery although her big hands are not naturally suited to the work. They argue over leaving the window open and then go to bed.

Seven days later Mrs. Manson Mingott invites Newland, just Newland, to her home. There, she half- jokingly accuses Newland of having made advances toward Ellen ­ isn't this why she threw him out of the carriage? Then, surprisingly, Catherine informs Newland that she's going to keep Ellen in New York to take care of her and that she needs Newland's support to convince the family that she should not be sent back to Europe. Newland agrees.

Newland begins walking home from Catherine's. In his mind, he wrestles with the plausibility of really having an affair with Ellen. He goes to the Beaufort's home, since Catherine informed him that Ellen is there. He meets Ellen there and they decide to meet the next day at the Art Museum. At the museum, they look at relics. Ellen says, "it seems cruel that after a while nothing matters any more than these little things, that used to necessary and important to forgotten people, and now have to be guessed at under a magnifying glass and labelled: 'Use Unknown'". Ellen realises that her presence so near to Newland will endanger his marriage; she is deeply afraid of having a tawdry affair and becoming "just like the others". So, she and Newland decide that they will "come to each other" (in other words 'have a sexual tryst') once and then she will return to Europe. Then Ellen exclaims that she is late and leaves Newland in the museum. Newland returns home and May is out; she returns and says that she just came back from a long talk with Ellen. May seems happy and sad; she suddenly has a better esteem for Ellen. At the same time, she flings her arms around Newland in a tearful embrace exclaiming, "You haven't kissed me today!"

Newland and his wife and mother go to the Opera. He goes to watch the performance of Faust and Mrs. van der Luyden comments that she saw Catherine's carriage parked outside of the Beaufort's home. May quickly lies for Catherine saying that she is certain that the carriage was there without Catherine knowing. The van der Luydens realise that Ellen had taken the carriage to the Beauforts. Mrs. Archer tries to make excuses: "Imprudent people are often kind." Newland watches the opera with some disgust thinking, "the same large blonde victim is succumbing to the same small brown seducer." May is wearing her wedding dress for the first time in two years. Wharton explains that "it was the custom, in old New York, for brides to appear in this costly garment during the first year or two of marriage."