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.
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