Wharton's Allegory of the Cave: The Age of Innocence as a Metafictional Cautionary Tale

Author(s): Hawkins, Grace | Abstract: This paper examines the conflicting realities in Edith Wharton’s The Age of Innocence using the allegory of the cave found in Plato’s The Republic. In The Age of Innocence, Wharton’s metafictional warping of reality can be confusing to the reader, and her disappointing ending can leave the reader wondering what the novel’s point was if Newland doesn’t choose Ellen in the end. But when one considers Wharton’s presentation of realities through the lens of Plato’s cave allegory—with the New York Reality, Newland’s Reality, and Ellen’s Reality representing the statues carried in front of the fire, the shadows cast on the cave wall, and the world outside—one comes to understand how Newland’s Reality was more real to him than Ellen’s Reality. This revelation disconcerts and scares the reader, transforming the novel into a tale of warning. The already established metafictional nature of The Age of Innocence provokes the reader to critically consider reality in the context of their own lives and to individually find true meaning and purpose both inside and outside of the novel.