"A New York divorce is in itself a diploma of virtue"

Edith Wharton's quote, "A New York divorce remains in itself a diploma of virtue", is both a wry commentary and a social critique, encapsulating the complex societal norms of her time. To understand this declaration, we need to first think about the societal context in which Wharton was writing. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Wharton's narratives typically checked out the complexities and hypocrisies of the upper-class societal mores, particularly those of New York's elite. Divorce, during this era, was greatly stigmatized and deemed scandalous, especially for females.

Nevertheless, by describing a New York divorce as a "diploma of virtue", Wharton seems to be pointing to a paradoxical recognition gave upon people-- particularly women-- by successfully navigating the labyrinthine social codes that such an action would involve. In New York, a divorce might paradoxically recommend a type of moral superiority or individual stability. This is because obtaining a divorce frequently needed considerable moral nerve and a desire to endure public analysis and personal turmoil to pursue one's own joy or escape from an illogical circumstance.

This quote underscores the idea that adhering to one's individual worths and stability, in the middle of social judgment, might be regarded as virtuous. In Wharton's world, a divorce could represent an adherence to greater personal facts, a rejection of facade, and a genuine pursuit of self-fulfillment-- qualities that may make someone a newly found respect, albeit a grudging one, from peers.

On another level, Wharton's option of the word "diploma" recommends recognition or an initiation rite. Simply as a diploma marks the completion of an instructional journey and provides regard, a New York divorce could signify graduation from social naivety or injustice into independent idea and self-governance. Therefore, Wharton highlights the paradoxical duality that within certain elite circles, to hold up against the challenges and emerge from them turning to one's individual strength and virtue was something to be acknowledged, even when masked in scandal.