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.
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