The Age of Innocence

Male suitors and admirers give female characters flowers to symbolize feelings. These fragrant aesthetic objects often convey emotions that cannot easily be expressed in words. Archer’s daily gift of lilies-of-the-valley—a white, dainty flower typically associated with innocence and virginity—to May indicates that he sees her as a pure young girl; Archer regards May as a type and does not really know her. Archer is being outwardly romantic on autopilot, so much so that he makes this bouquet a standing order with the florist—the gift does not come from genuine feeling.

In contrast, when Archer sees “sun-golden” yellow roses, “they did not look like” May because “there was something too rich, too strong, in their fiery beauty” (Location 1018). Archer’s appreciation of the roses’ color and depth symbolizes his craving for heat and passion. The roses remind him of Ellen, but he uses them in the same indirect way he’s been used to: When he sends Ellen the roses, he does not include his name-card. However, the secrecy only heightens the profoundness of his gesture. Ellen, knowing Archer sent the flowers, alludes to them when she speculates that a play character’s lover “will send her a bunch of yellow roses tomorrow morning” (Location 1518).