Newland Archer is the young lawyer whose viewpoint the narrative is filtered through. Archer escapes New York’s stifling social customs and puritanical morality by traveling to Europe, extensive reading, and affairs with women he can never marry. Trying to push these “rather aimless sentimental adventures” (Location 2651) into the past, Archer seeks to live in line with societal expectations when he becomes engaged to the extremely proper May.

Archer’s psyche rebels against the strictures of propriety, however. He cannot help being attracted to the nonconformist and vaguely dangerous Ellen Olenska or agreeing with her views on the hypocrisy of Old New York on the subject of divorce. Archer also espouses some proto-feminist ideas: He prefers sexually experienced women over virginal ones and finds the double standard between men’s and women’s expression of desire distasteful. To resist Ellen, Archer tries to hoodwink himself that marrying the decorum-obsessed May will make her an independent thinker and allow him to have a more intimate relationship with her.

Although Archer is irrevocably in love with Ellen and proposes running off together, forsaking their families and social responsibilities. However, the worldly Ellen knows that becoming complete pariahs will quickly cool their passion for each other; instead, she insists Archer go through with his engagement and