Twilight Sleep

Set in the Jazz Age, "Twilight Sleep" explores the lives of the Manford family as they navigate a world obsessed with pleasure and escapism. Nona Manford perceives the fragility of their façade, contrasting with her family's relentless pursuit of joy amidst the realities of life. Edith Wharton examines the societal tendency to seek quick fixes through the metaphor of a medical procedure that dulls both pain and memory, questioning whether such avoidance can truly endure.