| The Age of Innocence published in 1920 is the masterpiece of the famous American woman writer Edith Wharton. The novel won her fame and brought her Pulitzer Prize in 1921. It was so well received as to be made into film afterwards. Almost a century has passed since its publication, but the interest in the book remains unchanged. Researches into the work are abundant and the researchers have discussed it from various perspectives. This thesis probes the innocence of the three main characters by using Freud’s personality structure.According to Freud, The id contains the primitive and instinctive drives and is dominated by the pleasure principle; the ego is guided by the reality principle, or a realistic and rational approach to the world; the super-ego is related to conscience and morality. The superego aims at perfection, which consists of two parts, the conscience and the ego-ideal. The psychological changes of the three main characters in The Age of Innocence as the story proceeds just coincide with the conflicts of the id, ego and superego in their personalities. When their minds are governed by their ids, they yield to their distinctive desires; their egos struggle between their distinctive needs and realistic situations. Eventually as their egos triumph over their ids under the guidance of their superegos, the three main characters complete their transformation, thus their spirits are purified and their innocence is revealed.The thesis consists of introduction and five parts:Introduction makes a sketch of Edith Wharton’s life and her literary achievements and an outline of her masterpiece The Age of Innocence. It reviews the domestic as well as overseas research on the novel and points out the significance of the thesis.Chapter One starts with the origin of psychoanalytic criticism. Freud is the pioneer psychoanalyst in the recognition of the importance of unconscious mental activity. The id, the ego and the super-ego are terms coined by Freud as the three psychic zones of the structural theory of the personality. In Freud’s view, the id is the aspect of personality allied with the instincts. The ego is the rational aspect of the personality. The superego is the moral aspect of personality.Chapter Two discusses the conflicts between the three main characters’ id and ego. Newland Archer’s mental conflicts are reflected in his love for his wife’s cousin Ellen Olenska and his responsibility for his wife May Welland. Newland’s id seduces him to love Ellen, yet his ego warns him against the abandonment of his wife May. Ellen’s inner struggle is embodied in her strong love for her cousin’s husband Newland and the social moral values. Her id makes her accept Newland’s flowers and meet Newland in secret, but her ego cautions her to repress her love for Newland and avoid meeting Newland. May Welland’s difficult situation lies in her struggle between holding on to Newland and letting him join Ellen. May’s ego tells her to let go of Newland’s love and let the two lovers be together, while her id helps her succeed in binding Newland to the family.Chapter Three analyzes the prevalence of the three main characters’ superego over their id. By the time Newland is ready to follow Ellen, he has learned that May is pregnant. Newland’s superego makes him choose to stay in New York and be a faithful husband. Ellen’s superego raises her to think from the angle of May. Considering Newland’s future career, and May’s situation, she chooses to give up her own happiness. May’s superego subjects her to guilty conscience and shame for what she has done.Chapter Four focuses on the innocence of the three main characters. Newland is innocent. After May’s death, he still chooses to lead a decent life as a faithful husband and father for the rest of his life. Ellen is innocent. Burying her love for Newland in her inner heart, Ellen decides to vanish from the sight of the couple. Ellen is altruistic and noble. May is innocent. What May has done is understandable and forgivable. In that Old New York society, May has no choice but to maintain her marriage for the dignity of her family and for the decency and bright future of Newland.The final part gives a summary of what has been discussed in the previous chapters and draws such a conclusion: what the three main characters in The Age of Innocence have done is understandable, forgivable and innocent. Their love story tells us that true love should be encouraged and respected but personal love can be sacrificed for the benefit of others and harmony of the society. The analysis of the main characters in The Age of Innocence based on the personality structure throws light upon the comprehension of the complex human nature. |
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