Main character
Newland Archer: The protagonist of the story is a young, popular and successful lawyer who lives in an elegant house in new york with his mother and sister. Since childhood, his life has been influenced by the customs and expectations of the upper class in new york. His engagement to May Welland is one of a series of achievements. At the beginning of the story, he dreams proudly and contentedly of a traditional marriage, in which he is a husband-teacher and she is a wife-student. When he met Countess Allen Olenska, his life changed. Through his relationship with her-first friendship, then love-he began to question the values that brought him up. He saw the gender inequality and the shallowness of customs in new york society, and tried to balance the social commitment to Mei and the love for Allen.
Mrs Manson Mingot: the fat and aggressive matriarch of the powerful Mingot family, the grandmother of Allen and May. She controls her family: at Newland's request, she got May and Mrs. Welland to agree to an early wedding date; She controls the money-withholding Allen's living allowance (when the husband is angry with Allen) and asking his niece regine beaufort for money when she is in financial difficulties. In the upper class of new york, Mrs. Mingot is a maverick, sometimes breaking the boundaries of acceptable behavior; Receiving guests at the bottom of her house, although society associates this practice with prostitutes. Her welcome to Allen was met with suspicion, and she insisted that other family members supported Allen.
* Mrs. Welland: Mei's mother has raised her daughter into a lady of high society. Mei's dullness, lack of imagination and stereotyped views on appropriate and inappropriate behavior are the result of her influence. Mrs. Welland is the driving force behind May's commitment to a long-term engagement. Without her mother's influence, May might have agreed to Newland's request for an early wedding date earlier. After several years of marriage, Newland Archer realized what his mother-in-law would become-numb, unimaginative and dull.
May Welland: Newland Archer's fiancee and later wife. She was brought up to be a perfect wife and mother, perfectly following and obeying all social customs. In most cases, she is a shallow, boring and boring young woman that new york society needs.
Ellen Olenska: She is May's cousin and the granddaughter of Mrs Manson Mingot. She married the Polish Count Oranski, a European aristocrat who never appeared in the story, and became a countess. At the beginning of the story, Allen escaped from her unhappy marriage, lived in Venice with her husband's secretary and returned to her home in new york, USA. She is a free soul, helping Newland Archer transcend the narrow new york society.
* new york society: It is composed of wealthy families with power and influence. These people follow and impose a set of strict and rigid social customs and codes of conduct, and think that those who do not follow these codes are unacceptable and can be disposed of at will. It is difficult for Allen to adapt to this kind of behavior that society thinks a woman who is separated from her husband should have. The judgment of new york society is clear; Almost everyone refused to attend the dinner to celebrate Allen's return.