In the novel, by explaining the codes of adultery, Wharton gives a sense of how complex, and even contradictory, gender relations in New York truly are. Archer argued in the first book that women face more restrictions and judgment than men if they have romantic relationships, a fact he himself has proven. After reading Count Olenski's letter, which accuses Ellen of adultery, all of Archer's admiration for Ellen's independence turns to condescension. He suddenly appears to him as an "exposed and pitiful figure" (Wharton, 81). Towards the end of the novel, however, he seems to reverse his opinion. A woman, he reflects, is considered weak and subject to nervous attacks. Therefore, any marital infidelity on her part only makes her husband look foolish because he has been cuckolded. But a married man who begins an affair is looked down upon, because he is expected to be responsible for his duty. In such cases, the man's wife is pitied and supported. This proves true through a scene at the end of the novel when May and Newland send Ellen away with a farewell party, their first big social gathering as a married couple. Handwritten invitations delivered by servants, several courses including delicacies such as turtle soup and Roman punch, and an elegant flower and table arrangement made the party a lavish and extravagant event. The dinner seemed so generous and selfless; but in reality the event is a cruel gesture on the part of May and the rest of old New York. Newland describes his realization of this fact in this passage: And then it occurred to him, in a vast flash of many broken flashes, that to them all he and Madame Olenska were lovers, lovers in the extreme sense peculiar to "strangers." 'vocabularies. He had imagined... halfway through the paper... that May was able to identify his deepest desires and interpret his actions as she did. This suggests that perhaps throughout the novel May was only considered simple because it was told from a man's point of view, and that May could have hidden a more complex mind behind the veil that society had imposed on her. Women were silenced and oppressed in The Age of Innocence not only by men but by themselves; they gave in to this injustice because it was the only thing they knew. Society not only molded and shaped how a woman was expected to act, but also her innermost thoughts and desires. In this way not only a woman's voice was silenced, but also her mind. As Mary Wollstonecraft said, “I do not wish them to have power over men, but over themselves.” Because sometimes a shout, a word or a soft whisper is enough to break the silence.