We think of duties as moral responsibilities: we feel that we must do something because we believe it is the right thing to do. Some duties are religious duties, like celebrating a religious holiday; or social duties, like helping a sick person on the street. Some minor duties (like making your bed) are motivated by a moral value. For example, you might value responsibility, and a responsible people make their beds.
But sometimes duties lose their moral pull and become mere routine or convention: you do it not because it's right, but because everybody else is doing it. And that's the terrain that The Age of Innocence explores. What happens when duties become mere routines? Like, say, marrying a woman not because you love her but because she is your social equal? Are some duties worth keeping, like the duty to not hurt the people around you? Is it selfish to choose your own desires when they conflict with your sense of duty?
Questions About Duty
- There seem to be a lot of rules when it comes to family and social life. What are some of Newland Archer's duties and responsibilities? Consider some of the other characters and their duties and responsibilities.
- In addition to family and social duties, the characters also feel moral duties, such as the duty not to hurt other people, or the duty not to compromise morals. What are the moral duties that each character feels are most important?
- Perhaps the most important conflict over duty in the novel is the tension between duty and love that Newland Archer and Ellen Olenska wrestle with. Why is it so difficult for them to decide between duty and love? Why don't they just ride off into the sunset together?
Chew on This
In The Age of Innocence, Newland Archer and Ellen Olenska gradually come to realize that neither of them are able to compromise their sense of duty.
For many in the New York society described in The Age of Innocence, social duties (such as preserving the honor of the family name) take precedence over moral duties (such as lying).