Edith Wharton’s Summer: A Bildungsroman Analysis
Summer: An Analysis of Edith Wharton’s Bildungsroman
Edith Wharton’s Summer is widely regarded as a Bildungsroman, a story centered on a young person’s journey into adulthood. As is typical of the genre, Summer introduces Charity, a relatively sheltered young woman on the cusp of adulthood. Charity’s basic needs are met, and she lacks significant responsibilities. She is independent-minded yet somewhat childish, as evidenced by her exclamation, “How I hate everything”. She displays little curiosity about books or others, repeatedly asserting her indifference to others’ opinions while constantly comparing herself to Annabel Balch and the Nettleton ladies. She falls in love with the first city-born man she encounters, embodying the characteristics of a typical adolescent. Although integrated into the adult community, primarily through domestic responsibilities and charitable work, Charity seeks self-definition by resisting the conventional behaviors and expectations for young women in North Dormer. Throughout the novel, Charity grapples with the tension between her desire for marriage and her rejection of it, viewing the avoidance of marriage as the only means of escaping the patriarchal code that governs North Dormer society.
To convey this internal conflict, Wharton alternates Charity’s moods between feelings of elation associated with freedom and despair stemming from frustration.
Wharton employs the term “Initiation” at two pivotal moments in the novel to highlight Charity’s transformative experiences. The first instance is her initial trip outside North Dormer, which broadens her perspective on the world beyond her village. Secondly, Charity’s journey to the mountain represents a “tragic initiation,” as the knowledge she gains compels her to lament her lack of autonomy.
Just as the Royall House’s threshold marks the physical starting point of Charity’s development, her life with Royall shapes her mental and emotional state. Their relationship is complex, marked by conflicting emotions as Charity approaches womanhood. Royall’s attempts to seek sexual favors from her have eroded her trust in him. When she refuses, Charity feels alienated from Royall and perceives in him the same hypocrisy she associates with all of North Dormer.
However, Charity’s initial encounter with Harney reignites her desire to learn more about the world, as he represents something foreign and superior to North Dormer.
The Bildungsroman progresses as their relationship evolves from friendship to romance. However, three events in the story test Charity’s limits: the 4th of July trip to Nettleton, the Old Home Week celebration, and the confrontation at the abandoned house. Having overcome these challenges, her journey to the mountain serves as the final trial before the novel’s resolution.
The growing-up process involves conforming to reality and making compromises, as exemplified by her marriage after returning from the mountains.
Key Topics in Summer:
- Love
- Maternity
- Bildungsroman
- Marriage and Domestic Responsibilities
- Child Nature
- Self-Discovery
- Sexual Awakening
- Frustration