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.