Edith Wharton

Melanie Freeman

English 48B

February 19, 2009

Edith Wharton: The Other Two

Edith Wharton is best known for her two novels, The House of Mirth and The Age of Innocence.  The themes of these novels, as well as her other works deal with the elite class of society and the dilemmas they face despite the level of luxury they reside in.  Wharton herself was raised in a very privileged family and lived a lifestyle similar to many of her leading heroines.  Once she managed to end her unhappy marriage in 1913, she devoted the rest of her life to her writing and her involvement in relief organizations during World War 1.  

"People shook their heads over him, however, when one grudging friend, to whom he affirmed that he took the step with his eyes open, replied oracularly: "Yes- and with your ears shut" (831).  

Summary:

This quote appears early in the story, shortly after we are introduced to the newlywed Waythorns.  Mr. Waythorn is clearly a very successful man who offers his new bride a very luxurious lifestyle.  The couple has returned early from their honeymoon due to Lily, Alice's daughter's struggle with typhoid.  We also quickly learn that this is not Alice's first marriage, in fact it is her third.  This quotation explains the reactions Waythorn's friends had upon hearing he was planning to marry Alice and the social disgrace that is associated with divorce.  

Response:

The role of the public opinion just as influential in both Wharton's The Other Two as it is in James' Daisy Miller.  The very nature of the society these people lived in involved the constant criticism of whether something was proper or not.  The struggle each character faces in choosing whether or not to let the public opinion influence his or her actions is the very basis of the moral dilemma in each story.  The "correct" behavior of an affluent woman in society is tested by both Alice and Daisy in their own sense. 

At a time when divorce was a new and highly scrutinized practice, Alice Waythorn had already had two.  By moving from husband to husband Alice gained attention from the public and not in a positive light.  The "scandal" of her remarrying for a third time not only tarnishes her own public reputation but also the reputation of her soon to be husband.

The quote above address Mr. Waythorn specifically, and reveals just how disapproving society was of his choice to marry Alice.  By taking the step "with his eyes open...and ears shut" (831), Waythorn is making the conscious decision to ignore the gossip around him.  He has chosen a woman who has clearly acted without fear of public scrutiny and he decides to do the same.  His sincere belief that she only has feelings for him despite her past motivated Waythorn to shut out any doubt he may have heard from others. 

However, as the story progresses, Waythorne begins to doubt his original decision as he realizes that perhaps the public warning was correct.  To his disappointment, Alice truly is a manifestation of her complicated past and was not able to "shed her past like a man" (841), as Waythorn has sincerely hoped.