Q1.

(Max)

Wharton creates a parallelism in the passage between Archers relationship with Ellen
and the relationship between the lovers in The Shaughraun to not only foreshadow the
development of the Archer-Ellen romance, but also to lend insight to Archers emotional
conflict as he struggles to come to terms with his intolerable attraction to Ellen.

The parallelism is brought out through Whartons use of the theatre motif in this
particular scene. Though not directly represented, the significance of this scene in The
Shaughraun is in its manifestation of Archers own sorrow and sympathy towards himself.
Through the dramatic setting of the play, we are reminded at this point in the play of
Archers dilemma with Ellen and May. Though Miss Dyas is supposed to represent May
as Archer knows fully himself, the narrator reveals that he instead finds himself unable to
push aside intruding thoughts of Ellen. This is evident in how Miss Dyas wore a gray
cashmere dress without fashionable loopings or trimmings, supposedly a reflection of
May and her dull obedience towards the social conventions of Old New York. The
unfated love of the play however leads us to think otherwise, that the relationship Archer
is reminded of is not the one with his future wife but rather her cousin. As depicted by
Harry Montague leaving the room without her (Miss Dyas) hearing him or changing her
attitude, the play reflects the Archers aching desire to pursue Ellen, held back by the
social rules that have governed him since he was ever aware and his own self-indulgent
denial. The dramatic scene of the lovers also forbodes the conclusion of the Archer-Ellen
romance; Archer for all his intellect and pained contemplation inevitably marries May and
chooses to remain caged in Old New York, truly parting Ellen for good. For the better or
worse, it emphasizes again how much the conflict in the plot is largely contained within
Archers thoughts and away from reality, thus reflecting the significance of the
hieroglyphic society of Old New York and its firm grasp on its people.

The purpose of the parallelism used is perhaps to portray Archer in a critical light. As
dramatic and regretful as Archer seems, his struggle with this forbidden love for Ellen is
not truly real as it is all in his imagination, away from the cruel judgement of Old New
Yorks citizens. Archer, though in despair, is constantly battling against himself and
eventually loses, giving in to the safe but firm arms of social conformity and marrying
May. Thus, we are lead to see Archer as not only still immature at this point in the book,
but also delusional as he fails to faces his struggles in reality and does battle in fantasy.

Q2. (Max)

Wharton also introduces Archers somewhat exaggerated perspectives of himself in
relation to both May and Ellen through the use of free indirect discourse to reveal his
ironic attraction to drama and conflict in his life, as opposed to the standardised way of
life in Old New York.

The omniscient narration of the text exposes Archers unconscious desire for theatrical
drama in his existence, as seen in his musing of the the sorrow in The Shaughraun.
Archer is not only simply appreciating theatre, but relishing in its planned reticence,
dumb sorrow; it moved him more than the most famous histrionic outpourings. His
indulgence in soaking up the misery of the characters in the play lends insight into his
want to escape the mundane conformity of society. The fact that he watched the play
always for the sake of that particular scene thus reveals Archers discontent with Old
New York and how he is unaware of his own hunger for freedom. Archers belief that the
significance of ones innate tendency to have things happen to them further
emphasizes his yearning for some semblance of conflict in his world, as he perceives the
distraught Ellen to be a product of her fate and his destiny to be part of this dramatic
turn of events.

Q3. (Kash)

The notion of a theatre motif takes precedence in Archers appraisal of Ellen Olenska,
whereby he deems her to be comparable to the actress on stage, seeing how Ellen
possess a mysterious ability to a conceive a sense of tragedy.

Archer claims that Olenskas mysterious faculty is consistent in suggesting tragic and
moving possibilities outside the daily run of experience. In using the term mysterious to
describe Ellens mode of operation, Archer renders himself an astounded observer, with
the point of amazement being drawn from his inability to understand and relate to the
way Ellen functions. Indeed this impression of Archer is iteratively evidenced by the fact
that he acclaims her to be one of a mysterious and outlandish background. The words
mysterious and outlandish are immense with the connotation of incomprehensibility,
highlighting that Archers perception of Ellen is fraught with foreignness and that her very
character is detached from Archers common understandings and belief. Given this
unorthodox quality of character that he attributes to Ellen, Archer is swamped with the
belief that Ellen serves to communicate to him possibilities outside the daily run of
experience. The sentiments of demarcation here as echoed by the clear distinction that
Archer sets between himself and Ellen through his perception of her, somewhat bears
the resemblance to that of an audience and the performers on stage. Archer plays the
effective audience with his veiled and personalised perception of Ellen, while Ellen with
her independent agency unfolds to Archer new possibilities in an effectively dramatised
manner (tragic and moving), is indeed the talented performer who successfully captures
her audience, Archer, in a muddled sense of wonderment.

What is more prominent however, would Archers use of dramatised emotions in
conveying his impression of Ellen Olenska. Archer denotes that there was something
inherently dramatic,passionate and unusual in Ellen. Through the usage of terms such
as dramatic, passionate and unusual, Archer alludes to convictions of ardency and
sensuality and a very burlesque amplification of the human disposition. Significance is
drawn from how Archer associates such zealous images, to ones congenital character
(inherently,innate tendency). Such an act on Archers part presents Archer
pretensions towards the human guile. Though theatrical in his perceptions, Archer
observations are rooted and largely related to the idea of Ellens intrinsic nature and
character that is absent of any societal and circumstantial influence. In crafting the
foundation of Archers perceptions to be in relation to that of indigenous essentiality,
Archers character is shown to harbour inclinations towards towards untrained human
nature with all its instinct and guile.

Q4. (Vanessa)

Wharton adopts a rather critical tone towards her seemingly delusional protagonist,
pronounced by the free indirect discourse which not only reflects Archers thoughts, but
also the authors attitude towards him. Readers are granted access to Archers interior
world as it is revealed that It would have been as difficult to discover any resemblance
between the two situations as between the appearance of the persons concerned. The
high modality of the modal verb would in this firm declarative connotes the immature
protagonists boyish infatuation with the Archer-Ellen relationship as he begins to
associate it with a completely unrelated scene in a play. In addition, Wharton hints at how
Archer has not yet divorced the superficial mindset of Old New York, as he chooses to
juxtapose the stark disparity between circumstance to the contrast in image, which is
paramount in this one-dimensional society. This alludes readers to the fact that Archer is
still wrapped in the womb of the society that has moulded him, and is hence not yet
capable of thinking independently from Old New Yorks school of thought. The narrator
again lends readers insight on Archers far-fetched imagination with the phrase he could
not have said why, coupled with the comparison of metaphors in the sentence Nor were
Archer and Madame Olenska two lovers parting in heart-broken silence; they were client
and lawyer separating after a talk which had given the lawyer the worst possible
impression of the clients case. Archers decision to parallel his relationship with Ellen
Olenska to a glamorous, passionate scene in The Shaughraun is symptomatic of the
extent of his romanticization as he equates his love life to a scene in a play that is
nowhere near an accurate representation of the Archer-Ellen relationship, which is much
formal and not as warm. Furthermore, he himself finds these thoughts inexplicable,
alluding to his lack of maturity.

A sarcastic undertone also overshadows the rhetorical question Wherein, then, lay the
resemblance that made the young mans heart beat with a kind of retrospective
excitement?, exposing Archers irrationality and obsession with his fantasy. Connotative
lexis which is hyperbolic, such as heart beat and retrospective excitement lend the
rhetorical question an air of drama, showcasing Whartons satirical tone.

The use of the adjective little to describe the scene in The Shaughraun which reminds
Archer of Ellen Olenska epitomizes Whartons condescending tone. Although the scene
thrills Archer as he fantasizes his leave-taking from Ellen Olenska to possess the same
romance and tenderness, the author undermines the importance of the scene. Whartons
diction implies that the scene is insignificant and should not be paid much attention,
hence insinuating that Archer is merely being over-dramatic and caught up in his
delusions.

Ultimately, Wharton adopts a critical, condescending and sarcastic tone towards
Newland Archer to underscore his immaturity and romantic fantasies; a product of his
boyish attraction towards Ellen Olenska. Readers begin to view Archer critically, possibly
finding him over-dramatic and delusional as a result of the nuances in Whartons words
as well as the tone she adopts with regards to her protagonist.