feminine behaviors which promoted idleness, passivity, and gentility. It brought influence to American women especially middle-class women. They were being
encouraged to act like aristocrats, scorning work, and occupying activities which had nothing to do with marketplace. For middle-class women, this new behavior
was connected to commercial wealth which dealt with conspicuous consumption of large houses, staffs or servants, and costly furnishing 14.
B. Theoretical Framework
This section summarizes the contribution of the theories mentioned in the analysis of this study. The object of the study is Edith Wharton’s work titled The
Age of Innocence and the problem is about patriarchal society in America nineteenth century which Ellen Olenska rebels against to. Hence, in this study
Socio-historical approach is employed to support the analysis in answering the problem above. Meanwhile, the theory of character and characterization is also
applied to describe Ellen Olenska’s characteristics as the main character of the novel.
In addition to dig out more understanding about the description of how Ellen Olenska rebels against patriarchal society as well as the picture of the
society itself, theory of patriarchy, the characteristics of patriarchal society, and the descriptions of socio-cultural background of America in nineteenth century are
employed. After all related theories mentioned above are gained, the analysis of this
study can be implemented because it already has supporting theories.
CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY
This chapter discusses the methodology in conducting the study. This chapter consists of three parts, namely object of the study, approach of the study,
and method of the study. The first part, object of the study, discusses a brief description of the novel. The second part, approach of the study, presents the
critical approaches used in this study. The third part, method of the study, presents about the research procedure which discusses the steps done by the writer in
conducting the study to answer two questions stated in the problem formulation.
A. Object of the Study
This study deals with the novel which is written by Edith Wharton, The Age of Innocence. This novel was first published in 1920 and won the Pulitzer
Prize in 1921. The novel analyzed in this study was published in 1994 by Wordsworth Edition Limited. The book is divided into two parts. The first part of
the book consists of 112 pages within chapters 1-18 and the second part of the book consists of 117 pages in chapters 19-34.
The novel has three main characters, Newland Archer, May Welland and Ellen Olenska. Newland Archer is engaged to May Welland, but in the same time
he also falls in love with Ellen, May’s cousin. Here Newland Archer starts falling in love with Ellen because he finds a glimpse of freedom from his conventional
rules in that an unconventional woman. Ellen is described as an unconventional woman because she dares to break the rules of the Old New York society by
asking a divorce over her husband. It is said that the Old New York society does
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