Wharton is obsessed with matters of propriety and being fashionable. We can tell from the way that Newland Archer, Lawrence Lefferts and Mr. Silverton Jackson are introduced (all are extremely concerned with what is "moral" and "the thing") that Wharton will spend a lot of time in the novel discussing and even critiquing these concepts. It is also interesting to examine which words are capitalised. "Society", "Family", and "Taste" are capitalised because they are the pillars upon which the rather flimsy New York society is founded. First, Newland becomes enraptured with Ellen because she defies these grand conventions ­ yet this is the very thing that is supposed to make her unacceptable. For example, she explains that the Duke is very dull and Newland thinks it is "undeniably exciting" that she would know him well enough to make the claim and be uninhibited enough to express it. Also ironic is that Newland would claim that his relationship with May is just romantic when it is clear that they are together simply because they are the "perfect match" in terms of the family backgrounds and not because they had fallen in love on their own. It is also ironic that although May is incredibly beautiful, it is the touch of Ellen's fan that excites him like a caress. Also, it is the Duke who finds May the "most handsome woman in the room"; yet, he is incredibly dull. It makes us wonder if May is handsome only to "dull" people. Is Newland beginning to break from convention and take less interest in her?

This chapter is also brilliant in that Wharton clearly articulates some of the stranger codes of this society. Women should not, for example, leave a man's side and walk across a room unescorted to join the company of another man. Why are these codes important to this society? Are they stifling or liberating? Newland disregards propriety to allow for Ellen's freedom, or so he believes. There is a lot in this chapter that deals with facades and hidden intentions. The first question that we must ask is: why is Newland chosen to convince Ellen not to divorce? On first glance, it seems that he is chosen because family members think it is in his best interest to curtail any bad gossip in his fianc

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