decisions

The Age of Innocence- Edith Wharton

碧血剑 (Sword Stained with Royal Blood)

I was recently browsing through a few of the dramas I had watched when I came upon the revelation that one of them, Sword Stained with Royal Blood, had one aspect that was strikingly similar to The Age of Innocence, and not in a good way. They both had a protagonist that simply could not decide between two women. Of course, if that was the only aspect I needed to declare a strong similarity, then there would be countless dramas that fall into that category. But these two works had more than just the mutual ability to frustrate me beyond my wits with the protagonist’s indecisiveness (though that was the main reason why I noticed the similarity). The relationships of the protagonists and the women they struggle between begin to draw in the influence of society’s expectations.

On one side we have Newland Archer struggling between May, his soul mate in society’s eyes, and Ellen, the girl that he truly desires. May represents everything that society loves- a soft-spoken, innocent, conforming girl- and everything that Newland has begun to hate. He’s tired of society’s “sameness” which is why he looks to Ellen, the essence of uniqueness, with such desire. Yet she’s another man’s wife, a woman who has even been accused of running away with another man. It would be impossible for society to approve a relationship between her and her cousin’s fiancé, thought of as an exemplary member of New York’s upper class, almost as if it refused to let him pursue his desires.

Yuan Cheng Zhi is in a very different yet very similar position. The leader of an alliance seeking to help bring down the Ming Dynasty, Yuan Cheng Zhi’s life is far from the passive existence that Newland Archer leads, but he’s torn by the same romantic troubles. Wen Qing Qing was given to him to take care of by her mother and is a fellow rebel, a seemingly perfect match for Yuan Cheng Zhi. Yet his interest lays with Ah Jiu, a princess of the Ming Dynasty and the daughter of the man he’s trying to kill. For obvious reasons, those around him would not be very approving of such a union.

Initially, both protagonists seem to cave to the opinion of those around them. Newland Archer goes through with his marriage with May while Yuan Cheng Zhi avoids Ah Jiu and reassures Qing Qing of his feeling for her. But in both cases the harmony does not last for long. Newland “[begins] to fear” his penchant for noticing the undesirable aspects of his wife, almost as if they drive him away from being perfect husband that society expects of him. Yet ultimately, he decides to break away from expectations and pursue his desires, and he once again begins to see Ellen, even beginning to think of running away with her. Through this desire, Newland is able to taste a freedom, a hope, that he cannot get from May. Yuan Cheng Zhi also tries to escape reality with Ah Jiu, although his reality isn’t just the disapproval society but also the death and destruction that results from the clash between her father’s men and his men.

However, neither man finds much success in his pursuits thanks to reality’s interference. May reveals that she’s pregnant, causing Ellen to leave after recognizing the hopelessness of her relationship with Newland. Ah Jiu realizes that even with Yuan Cheng Zhi the despair of reality won’t despair and decides to become a monk while Qing Qing reminds Yuan Cheng Zhi of his promises to stop him from following Ah Jiu. Ultimately both Newland Archer and Yuan Cheng Zhi make the decision to stay with the women that society approves of, but in both cases, the result is stagnation. Newland Archer looks back on his life and sees he’s fallen into a “deep rut” stuck in one place and unable to move on to become the accomplished man he once hoped to be. Yuan Cheng Zhi gives up fighting for a just government and decides to run away from the result of his actions to find a less eventful life elsewhere. They have finally chosen a woman and accepted society’s expectations, but in doing so, they seem to have given up their dreams.