Opinion of the Work

The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton

I found the novel to be very sad. Lawrence Selden and Lily Bart could have lived together in happiness and love, but Lily had to accidentally overdose on her sleep medicine. The book was very well written. Wharton does an excellent job of portraying the feelings and inner conflicts of the characters. In addition, I love how she shifts the mood of Lily's thoughts when she thinks or talks to Selden to portray the love and attraction Lily has to him because she does not fully admit her love for Selden until the end of the novel. I got sucked into the parts where Lily talked with Selden and during the intense discussions Lily had with Gus Trenor and Rosedale. There were some parts that were boring, mostly when Wharton introduced Lily's past.

Although this book is a tragedy, the last line gives the novel a flare of happiness. "He knelt by the bed and bent over her, draining their last moment to it lees; and in the silence there passed between them the word which made all clear," (Wharton, 268). In the end they at least knew that they loved each other. I just wish they would have seen each other more often throughout the novel.

Confusion in Understanding the Novel

The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton



I understood and followed the novel, but there were some segments that were unclear. Because of the time that this book was written, misunderstandings of interpretations can be misconstrued. Putting my self in the characters mind set was difficult at times because the culture and technological difference. Also, Wharton uses many similes and metaphors, and I expect that some of them might have been common phrases during the early 1900s. Henceforth, I did not understand the meaning of some of the metaphors and similes Wharton weaved in the novel. For example, "...she was: an organism as helpless out of its narrow range as the sea-anemone torn from the rock," (Wharton, 244-245). Also, the diction Wharton employed was high level and sophisticated. I did not know the meaning of some of the words she used, but I was able to interpret the meaning of the words through context clues the majority of the time. I had a hard time relating to Lily's feelings since I had never been in a situation even close to hers. I was confused at some of the actions she took. For example, I do not know why when Selden came to her for help to be someone she could talk to, she tried to excercise power over him instead of letting him know how she got to where she was. The difference in culture and the time period cause the most confusion in reading the novel.

Book II: Chapters VII & VIII

The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton
Chapters VII & VIII (pgs. 201-221)

Simon Rosedale and George Dorset are both very attracted to Lily Bart. Moreover, they were both possible marriage candidates for Lily, and she is in desperate need of a rich husband in her terrible situation. Rosedale has been described as self-absorbed and intrusive throughout the novel. He concentrates his money to invest and build power to be accepted into the upper class social ring. Like Rosedale, George Dorset is also selfish, "...she saw that, for the first time, a faint realisation of her plight penetrated the dense surface of his self-absorbtion," (Wharton, 200). Rosedale put himself in a very good situation socially; on the contrary, George Dorset is miserable with Bertha Dorset becuase of the cheating scandal. George Dorset is willing to accept Lily as his wife despite what the marriage could do to Lily socially. Rosedale has changed his mind about marrying Lily because he thinks he only motive to marry him is he could pull her out of her current situation. Plus, marrying Lily could mean a steep decline in his social standing, which he has worked incredibly hard to build. While George Dorset is only concerned about his own well-being, Rosedale offered Lily a possible return to her social status. Because what Rosedale offered was unhonorable, Lily refused the offer. So in the end, Lily rejected both Rosedale and George Dorset.

Book II: Chapters V & VI

The House of Mirth by Edith Whartonta
Chapters V & VI (pgs. 187-201)

This portion of the novel metnions Coney Island, which reminded me of a book called Ship Ablaze. "...so they've started a sort of continuous performance of their own, a kind of social Coney Island," (Wharton, 188). Like The House of Mirth, Ship Ablaze is set in the early 1900s in New York. It is about the disaster of the General Slocum Steamboat. The first half of Ship Ablaze discusses the history of New York and Coney Island. New York had an influx of immigration, especially from Germany. The city provided many job opportunities, which were obviously very appealing to the immigrants. As a result, New York grew tremendously in population size. Coney Island became a major resort in New York; so, it was as the House of Mirth described it, chaotic and noisy. It is no longer a major New York resort because with everyone driving automobiles, people can travel to farther and better places. A popular resort for New Yorkes now is the Hamptons.

Book II: Plot Analysis up to Chapter 10

The House of Mirth by Edith WhartonPlot Analysis up to page 241 or Chapter 10

In Book I, Wharton began the novel with large expositions on Lily Bart. She introduces how Lily, an unmarried twenty-nine-year-old women, was raised and the goals she has to find a rich husband. Moreover, Wharton introduces Lily's gambling addiction and speding habits that chew away at the small amount of money she has. For example, "Once or twice of late she had won a large sum, and instead of keeping it against future losses, had spent it in dress or jewelry..." (Wharton, 20). Lily lives in the circle of the upper class society of New York even though she does not have to riches her friends have. Her beauty and social grace fits in perfectly with the upper class, but she will not remain a permanent member of this high society unless the marries a wealthy man. Lily's attraction to Lawernce Selden, her true love, is also revealed in the exposition of the novel. However, she cannot marry him because he does not have enough money to satisfy her needs and habits.

Lily aks Gus Trenor to invest her money in the stock market so she can make more money for spending. He agrees to do this because he is attracted to Lily despite being married. In return, Gus Trenor expects Lily to treat him as a close friend. This deal initiates the rising action of the novel. Unbeknownst to Lily, Trenor invests his own money into the stock market. He does not reveal this until he becomes unsatisfied with Lily's treatment of him. Lily is now in debt to Gus and must repay him nine thousand dollars.

Beginning Book II, Lily takes an unexpected trip to Europe with the Dorsets, which constitutes the start of the climax. Lily discovers that Bertha is having an affair with Ned Silverton and that her purpose on the vacation was to ditract Bertha's husband George. In a turn of events, Lily is accused of having an affair with George Dorset by Bertha, which leads to Lily's downfall from the high society.

In the falling action, Lily comes back to the U.S. to find her aunt dead and leaving her with a legacy of only ten thousand dollars, which is the amount she needs to pay Gus Trenor. Lily cannot recieve this legacy for a year, so she is living with Gerty Farish in poverty and desperately trying to climb her way back to the upper class society. She struggles with lonliness and life at the bottom; as a result, her train of thought and natural behavior become disarrayed in her new environment. Lily strugges and struggles to earn money for herself and it seems her only way out is to find some way to marry Simon Rosedale. Hopefully, she will not be so desperate to marry a man whom she despised!

Book II: Chapters III & IV

The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton
Chapters III & IV (pgs. 168-187)

Edith Wharton employs multiple literary techniques throughout the novel. The particular techniques I have seen most often are similes, metaphors, imagery, and stream of conscieusness. Wharton utilizes similes and metaphors to describe the feelings and thoughts of characters beyond just being happy and sad. These techniques not only add dimension to the character, but they also provide an insight into American culture in the early 1900s. For example, "Where Judy Trenor led, all the world would follow; and LIly had the doomed snese of the castaway who has signalled in vain to the fleeing sails," (Wharton, 185). Because Wharton references the world and uses sailsin the metaphor implies that the only way to travel across the world was by sailing on a boat. Moreover, Wharton goes beyond describing Lily's situation with a metaphor to explain the manner of Lily's situation in a more understandable and clear fashion. Wharton starts describing each setting with vivid imagery to emphasize its importance with how the characters interact with each other. Also, Wharton weaves multiple streams of conscieusness into the novel to magnify on the inner conflicts manuvering within each characters mind. The stream of conscieusness clarifies the novel and helps explain the actions and feelings of the characters in greater detail, especially Lily Bart. Whatron uses sophisticated diction that shifts upon the movement of each character. Whenever Lily moves across a space or enters a room, Wharton employs elegant and breathtaking diction to set the tone and emphasize the essence and effect of Lily's beauty. Wharton's effective use of literary techniques effectively shape the novel.

Book II: Chapters I & II

The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton
Book II: Chapters I & II (pgs. 147-168)

In this portion of the novel, Lily and her acquaintances travel to Europe and they stop in Monte Carlo. Right now, my family and I are on a vacation in Europe, more specifically Austria. Because the setting in Chapters I and II was in Europe, I thought of our vacation. The architecture in Austria alone is amazing, especially in Vienna with the gorgeous palaces and one thousand-year-old buildings. We even ate dinner in a nine hundere-year-old building. We toured multiple palaces and catles, including the castle that inspired the structure of the Disney Cindarella Castle. One of the palaces included a treasury that held the crown of the Holy Roman Emperor. The sites and the scenary are magnificent both in the city and in the rural areas of Austria. The scenary of Europe described in the novel is also very beautiful, "Unclouded sunlight enveloped sea and shore in a bath of purest radiancy. The pupling waters drew a sharp white line of foam at the base of the shore; against its irregular eminences, hotels and villas flashed from the greyish verdure of olive and eucalyptus; and the background of bare and finely-pencilled mountains quivered in a pale intensity of light," (Wharton, 157). In Salzburg, my family and I climbed up to a fortress over one thousand years old. At the top, we overlooked the town of Salzburg encompassed by mountains with patches of snow dispersed across the peaks while the countryside was enveloped with emerald green grass. I have never seen such beautiful scenary.

Chapter XV

The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton
Chapter XV (pgs. 136-146)

Wharton reveals Miss Bart to be a round and dynamic characer by depicting her complex and deep feelings and how her experiences and interactions with the other characters have changed her. Lily Bart is efflicted with hard-bearing internal and external conflicts. The internal conflicts she faces include love verses money and reputation vs happiness. Although the internal conflicts have been her primary struggle thus far, Lily has a pressing external conflict as well, which is the debt to Gus Trenor, who has put Lily in a terrible situation. He is "crazy" about Miss Bart and he lent her his money with the expectation of being a close friend of Lily's in return. Since Lily did not fulfill his wish, he had an explosion. Their friendly relationship is now destroyed and has left Lily to pay him nine thousand dollars.

Lily's beauty is her most dominant trait. She utilizes it for power and persuasion upon men. Despite not being wealthy, Lily is accepted into the rich society because of her seductive beauty. Her relationship with Selden continues to blossom as she comes in touch with her feelings for him. Moreover, he is her only hope, "But now his love was her only hope, and as she sat alone with her wretchedness the thought of confiding in him became as seductive as the river's flow to the suicide," (Wharton, 141). Lily and Selden's relationship transcended after their bewitching kiss atthe Bry's. They both have been thirsting to see each other, but they have had some miscommunications.

Gerty Farish, Mr. Selden's cousin,  has grown to be one of Lily's closest friends. Going with Gerty to one of her missionaries has provided Lily with the feeling of satisfaction after helping someone in need.

Lily faces difficult times ahead under the circumstances that have come over her. Hopefully, Lily will learn that she does not need money to be happy, she only needs love.

Chapters XIII & XIV

The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton
Chapters XIII & XIV (pgs. 112-136)

Chapter 13's first sentence stated that, "Lily woke from happy dreams," (Wharton, 112). I immediately thought of the movie Inception. Moreover, Gerty woke from happy dreams. Inception is a movie where people move through different dimensions or levels of dreams. Gerty loved Lily and thought highly of her until she realized Selden liked her. Gerty dropped to a dimension of negativity towards herself and hatred towards Lily. When Lily appeared at her door for help, Gerty transitioned to another dimension that few people can move into. Gerty put aside her rash feelings of hatred towards Lily to help her in Lily's traumatied and dismantled array.

Lily felt joyful and happy at the beginning of Chapter 13 from her memorable night with Selden. She then went to the Trenor's and had a heated and vivid discussion with Gus Trenor, which delivered her into a fearful and shocking dimension. Then, a dimension of sadness and anguish overtook Lily by the time she came to Gerty for help. Like Inception, both Gerty and Lily traveled through dream-like dimensions.

Chapters XI & XII

The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton
Chapters XI & XII (pgs. 97-112)

The setting in chapter twelve inspired an intimate moment between Miss Lily Bart and Mr. Selden. The night began with a party at the Bry's house. The special tableaux Mrs. Bry put on was shown in their beautiful and elegant Venetian style ball room. This setting exemplified the night and the beauty of many of the women attending the party. The tableaux included an incredibly gorgeous picture of Miss Bart that outlined her body and face perfectly. Miss Bart's picture mesmerized Mr. tsSelden that night. For example, "Its expression was now so vivid that for the first time he seemed to see before him the real Lily Bart, divested of the trivialities of her little world, and catching for a moment a note of that eternal harmony of which her beauty was a part," (Whaton, 109). His feelings and her beauty inclined him to find Miss Bart for he could no longer resist her. Selden found her, and he led her gently outside to a garden with hanging lights, a fountain delicately spraying lilies, and a sleeping lake. The quietness of this romantic setting on a midsummer night exagerated the fact that Lily and Mr. Selden were alone. Moreover, the beauty and fragrance of the garden fueled their feelings toward each other. It inspired "dream-like sensations" between both Lily and Selden. The magical and deserted garden combined to provide the perfect circumstances for Lily and Selden to kiss. The magical setting inspired a magical moment between Miss Bart and Mr. Selden.

Chapters IX & X

The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton
Chapters IX & X (pgs. 79-97)

Edith Wharton effectively utilizes sophisticated diction, elaborate syntax, and figurative language to define her style. Wharton portrayes Miss Lily Bart's thoughts and feelings through her syntax and diction. To convey a train of thought, Wharton uses semicolons and commas to create pauses in the characters' stream of conscieusness, which further portrays a fluent thought process. Also, Wharton centralizes Miss Lily Bart's thought process to develope her personality and her internal conflicts as the main character and to develope an award winning novel. As she interacts with her acquaintances and potential grooms, Miss Bart's thoughts are conveyed through Wharton's figurative language. Whenever Lily interacts or thinks of Mr. Selden, Wharton employs elegant diction, vivid imagery, and elongates a fluent syntax. Therefore, Wharton conveys a brightness and a "blood rush" in Miss Bart's senses to portray the attraction and feelings she has toward Mr. Selden. When Lily talks or thinks about Mr. Rosedale,Wharton shifts the mood. She uses sharp and stiff diction to convey the annoyance and discompfort in Miss Bart's thoughts. For example, "Miss Bart felt an inward motion of annoyance: it was distasteful enough to her name coupled with Trenor's, and on Rosedale's lips the allusion was peculiarily unpleasant," (Wharton, 92). Whaton's effective utilization of vivid imagery, diction, and syntax conveys the novel in a fluent and relatable fashion.

Chapters VII & VIII

The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton
(pgs. 60-79) Chapters VII & VIII

Miss Lily Bart continues to contemplate a solution to pay off her debts in this segment of The House of Mirth. She faces debts from Bellmont and needs quick relief. Luckily, Mrs. Trenor told Lily to pick up Gus Trenor, Mrs. Trenor's husband. Miss Bart found the perfect opportunity to borrow money. Despite his pugness and his massive body, which evoked a repulsive reflex, Lily strategically persuaded him to let her borrow money. Moreover, Gus Trenor decided to put her borrowed money into a stock so she will not be completely dependent on him. Money relieves Lily of stress and boosts her self-confidence, "The first thousand-dollar cheque which Lily received with a blotted scrawl from Gus Trenor strengthened her self-confidence in the exact degree to which it effaced her debts," (Wharton, 69). Lily is now in debt to Mr. Trenor, which holds some consequences that could detrement her future. Gus desperately wants Miss Bart to be friends with Mr. Rosedale, an intrusive and obnoxious man. No one thinks highly of him and people look down on him, even though he will be incredibly rich. Because Miss Bart is in debt to Gus, she must act as Mr. Rosedale's acquiantance. Gus Trenor holds Miss Lily's future in terms of money in his hands. If Lily disappoints him or does not give Mr. Trenor what he wants, things could get ugly.

Chapters V & VI

The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton
Chapters V & VI (pgs. 40-60)

While reading this portion of the novel, a specific passage captured my attention, "  ' My idea of success, ' he said, ' is personal freedom.'  ' Freedom? Freedom from worries? '  ' From everything-- From money, from poverty, from ease and anxiety, from all the material accidents. To keep a kind of republic of the spirit-- that's what I call success, '  " (Wharton, 54).

In my opinion, success has always meant accomplishing something whether it be in the class room, in life, or on the basketball court. Expectations drive success. For example, if a student expects to get a B+ on a test and they earn a C, the student will be disappointed because they were unsuccessful in achieving their expectation. In todays society, success often refers to the amount of money a person earns. The House of Mirth brought to light a new definition of success, which is freedom. I have never heard of, let alone thought of freedom as success. Finding personal freedom would bring happiness and confidence to a person, which could be interpreted as success. This passage helped me realize that the meaning of success is different to each individual. Moreover, it helped me broaden my perspective on the meaning of success. Now, I know success means something different to each person. The dictionary does not define success. Success has billions of meanings, not just one.

Chapters III & IV

The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton
Chapters III & IV (pgs. 18-40)

In this segment of the novel, Wharton introduces the gambling side of Miss Lily Bart. Her gambling side was addictive, "...the desire to atone for this imprudence, combined with the increasing exhilaration of the game, drove her to risk higher stakes at each fresh venture," (Wharton, 20). She gambles away her money into debts she cannot pay off, which could come back to haunt her in the future. Gambling is unforgiving if one is not careful with their money. The thought of gambling reminded me of my trip to Las Vegas last summer. We went to the casino capital of the world where money is both won and lost. The gambling atmosphere Wharton described stimulated memories of card tables, chips, smoke, and all of the money I saw in the casinos. The card games used for gambling brought forth another memory and tradition I charish. Every time I go to my grandparents house in Woodstock, Illinois, we play cards almost the entire time. They tought me all of the card games I know. My favorite game is Pinnacle; it takes years to learn, but once my siblings and I learned how to play, we became addicted to it. I have joyful and happy memories playing card games. However, I do not think Miss Bart will have the greatest memories of playing cards in this novel.

Venetian, Las Vegas

Chapters I and II

The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton
Book I: Chapters I & II

The beginning of the novel reveals an insight into American culture in the 1900s. Through Miss Lily Bart's concerns of finding a suitable man for marriage, Wharton reveals that a womans' primary duty is to find a husband and get married. She reveals this through a conversation between Mr. Selden and Miss Bart. "  ' Isn't marriage your vocation? Isn't it what you're all brought up for? '  " (Wharton, 6). Moreover women feel immense pressure to marry for wealth before happiness. This conflict will probably be the  central point in Miss Lily Bart's thoughts throughout the novel. Also, she may be faced with a choice between her happiness and the desire for wealth. The lust for wealth is a common theme in many works because it is a serious temptation in human life. The common road that takes place in choosing wealth over pure happiness is regret and remorse for what could have been a wonderful and pure life. The common phrase "money can't buy happiness" holds completely true and it is a common theme in many films and novels. This theme is timeless because it holds true in every aspect of human life.