The Age of Innocence: Chapters 22-24

"I'm the man who married one woman because another one told him to."

Welcome to another week of our slow read of Edith Wharton’s The Age of Innocence.

In this week’s chapters, Ellen and Newland are back together again for a long, quiet day in Boston where they can finally talk — and boy, do they have some real talk. Finally!

Unfortunately, I have no audio guide for you on these chapters, but I do have the written guide — and I’m putting it out a day early.

So let’s dive in!

A brief summary

Here’s a quick breakdown of what happens in the first chapter, with the characters we meet this week in bold.

Chapter 22

• Emerson Sillerton — “a thorn in the side of Newport society” — throws a party for the Blenkers

• This party represents an awkward social obligation, and so May agrees to go for a drive with her dad that day, so he can miss the party; Mrs. Welland says she’ll stop by to represent the family

• In the midst of this social planning, Newland offers no clear answers or support — and his lack of planning is obvious to everyone except him

• Newland busies himself wit…