The Age of Innocence Book 2 Chapter 21

In which Newland Archer observes the genteel ritual of an archery match at a summer garden-party in Newport, where the familiar routines of society contrast sharply with his inner disquiet and shifting perceptions of the life he leads with his wife, May. The episode gently unfurls the nuances of social expectation and personal reflection beneath the shining surface of prosperous leisure, while a chance glimpse by the sea stirs a quiet, poignant memory that unsettles him through the long, moonlit night.