Newland Archer desires to be a free soul in old New York, different from those around him. May Welland's actions and naivety help Newland realize that he wants to break away from society's norms. Ellen Olenska arrives in New York to stay with her family during her divorce from a Polish count. Ellen and Newland are officially introduced in May, marking the beginning of Ellen and Newland's obnoxious relationship. Ellen offers a new change to Newland's monotonous lifestyle; she shows Newland the excitement of going against the moral code. After Ellen's arrival, Newland briefly believes that he wants to be with someone who is not like the women of New York, and when given the chance to be with Ellen, Newland refuses, showing that he is truly an old-fashioned man at heart. Newland hates the monotonous conversations with May and the repetitiveness of his job. Newland respects and loves May with all his heart, but when she starts calling him original, Newland realizes that she was "always going to say the right thing" (Age of Innocence 22) because she simply responded "by instinct and tradition. taught him (Age of Innocence 72). Cynthia Griffin Wolff, in her article titled “Edith Wharton,” states that the small world of New York was “stifling” and “stifling spontaneous expressions of emotion” (3). Furthermore, Newland lived in a sort of "hieroglyphic world" where what someone actually meant was never said or thought, but simply "represented by a set of arbitrary signs" (Age of Innocence 40). While listening to her mother and sister gossip on Ellen, Newland begins to realize that women should be able to do whatever they want, which means they should be able to speak their mind. Mrs. Archer and her daughter discuss Ellen's upcoming divorce, full of hope...... middle of paper ...... and because once before she had asked Newland to give up " the thing [he] wanted most”: Ellen (The Age of Innocence 302). When it comes time to see Ellen, Newland stays on the street, believing that it would be more real there "than if he went upstairs" (Age of Innocence 306). Newland watched Ellen's room from a bench, then, a moment later, a servant arrived and "raised the awnings and closed the shutters" and as if this was the signal Newland had been waiting for, he "rose slowly and walked.” return to his hotel alone” (Age of Innocence 307). It was as if closing the awnings and closing the shutters was Newland's sense of closure. The Age of Innocence could be classified as a Bildungsroman because in the novel, Newland Archer moves from “adolescence to adulthood” (“Edith Wharton” 14). Newland Archer is simply a follower at heart despite what he thinks or does.