Saturday, July 14, 2012

The Bitter Waters of Life

The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton
Chapter 14
"He knelt by the bed and bent over her, draining their last moment to its lees; and in the silence there passed between them the word which made it all clear" (Wharton, page 268).

I have to say that the end of this novel was heartbreaking. I believe that Lily committed suicide after her agony seemed to crash down on her. As soon as she told Selden in the previous chapters that he would not see him for a while, I felt that she was going to harm herself because she is overwhelmed by her situation. Furthermore, I believe that the climax seems to be her conversation with Selden in chapter twelve. Everything seemed to be clear to her and I knew the fate of her once she burned the letters. As I said in my last blog, the letters seem to symbolize her past life of luxury. The letters were her ticket back into society and money with Rosedale. When she burned them, I felt that she saw her love of Selden could not bring her to expose the letters and that at the same time, she knew she could no longer go on. I do wish Lily could have found hope in Nettie Struther to keep going and see herself in Nettie's story. When she went to sleep, I felt that her wish was to go on and end up like Nettie with a baby but she had already acted on her woes.
As a whole, I ended up enjoying the book even though I can say that I did not like it at all when I started. The pain of Lily is seen in the second half as I began to feel sorry for her circumstance although brought on by her own choices. Lily was not given the best foundation for her life with her mother's snobbish attitude towards those of a lower class. The remarks of her mother tore her to pieces as she became what her mother always told her to avoid. I do wish I could know what came of Selden. He was my favorite character as he was sensible about his situation. 

"But at least he had loved her - had been willing to stake his future on his faith in her - and if the moment had been fated to pass from them before they could sieze it, he saw now that, for both, it had been saved whole out of the ruin of their lives" (Wharton, page 267-268).

"I was born in the arms of imaginary friends. Free to roam, made a home out of everywhere I've been. Then you come on crashing in, like the realtest thing. Trying my best to understand all that your love can bring. Oh, half of my heart's got a grip on the situation. Half of my heart takes time. Half of my heart's got a right mind to tell you that I can't keep lovin' you, can't keep lovin' you, with half of my heart."

Nearing the End

The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton
Chapters 12 & 13
"'Once - twice - you gave me the chance to escape from my life, and I refused it: refused it because I was a coward. Afterward I saw my mistake - I saw I could never be happy with what had contented me before. But it was too late: you had judged me - I understood. It was too late for happiness - but not too late to be helped by the thought of what I had missed. That is all I have lived on - don't take it from me now! Even in my worst moments it has been like a little light in the darkness. Some women are strong enough to be good by themselves, but I needed the help of your belief in me. Perhaps I might have resisted a great temptation, but the little ones would have pulled me dow. And then I remembered - I remembered your saying that such a life could never satisfy me; and I was ashamed to admit to myself that it could. That is what you did for me - that is what I wanted to thank you for. I wanted to tell you that I have always remembered; and that I have tried - tried hard...'" (Wharton, page 250).

Lily Bart has changed. Her monologue I quoted above fully showed me the change that Lily has finally encountered. Previously, I believed she had already changed in small ways but then she always seemed to revert back to herself. In these two chapters, Lily admits many things I believed to be true about her and seems to have finally figured out herself. With many clues though, the book seems to be leading to the last strand of Lily's existence. 
The full setting of chapter twelve reminds me of the first chapter of the novel. Lily reminds herself of that day when she enters Selden's apartment. With the letters in her jacket, I fully believed Lily was going to confront Selden about the letters. She surprised me when she left that she threw them in the fire. The letters appeared to symbolize her past life of luxury as they were her last ticket to return to her former life. As a whole, the novel seems to be a parallel of itself. The start of the book placed Lily with Selden at his home, and the end of the book placed her in his home again. The novel seems to show Lily's rise to her peak as she was proposed to by Rosedale to her rock bottom as she is finding herself without money.
I was fully surprised when the money from her aunt's legacy came to her at her room. I thought Lily could have taken the money instead of paying off Trenor at the time. He could wait especially if she was certain she was not to return to her former life and her former friends. I want to know where Carry Fisher and Gerty are. They seemed fully supportive of helping Lily but in her time of most need, neither of them seem to be around to help her through her rough time. 
Lastly, Lily Bart is the protagonist. In another since though, she seems to be the antagonist. Trenor does seem like the likely candidate for this position. I do believe he is an antagonist but he did not bring about Lily's fall. She rightfully owed Trenor money so he is at no fault besides leading her on. Lily, with her careless actions, brought about her own demise by beating herself down. 

Friday, July 13, 2012

Dreamless Annihilation

The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton
Chapters 10 & 11
"But in the sleep which the phial procured she sank far below such half-waking visitations, sank into depths of dreamless annihilation from which she woke each morning with an obliterated past" (Wharton, page 239).

As I find myself quickly reaching the end of the novel, Lily seems to be reaching the lowest of her points. The fact that Lily has turned to abusing Mrs. Hatch's prescriptions has amazed me. I have reached a point in the novel where I am giving up on Lily and her doings. In the wake of these two chapters, Lily has been given another shot to regain her footing in her life but seems to be walking away again. I was proud before that she seemed to actually be grasping her situation in the fullest. Now, I am not quite so sure. Lily seems to be giving up that is, until Rosedale gives her a way out with his help. I am sure Rosedale would like to marry Lily but cannot give up his own social standing either. In this was, Lily should be feeling like Selden. He was below her at the beginning of the novel when she refused him. Now, she should empathize with Selden as she is in that position with Rosedale. The irony in the situation has not seemed to hit Lily yet. Although Lily is at such a low place, I am pleased that she has seemed to learn her lesson about her own life for a small portion of these two chapters. When discussing her debts with Rosedale, Lily admits her faults. Unfortunately I had spent the money before I discovered my mistake" (Wharton, page 237). To my dismay, Lily rebuts her confession later on when she seems to believe that she can rise again in the social society by going to take the letters to Mrs. Dorset. 
Wharton's style of writing seems to be reflecting of the social class at hand. I felt that the entirety of the first book was full of lavish diction that causes utter confusion while reading. As I have read further into the second book, the wording seems to be simpler. Either I am understand it better, or Wharton seems to have weakened her diction to reflect that Lily has fallen in the social standings. 
Although Lily is spiraling downward, I do hope that she might be able to rise again with the chance of bettering her life. With the book nearing its end though, I am in doubt that this might be happening. 
"And sometimes I wonder, why we care so much about the way we look, and the way we talk and the way we act and the clothes we bought, how much that cost? Does it even really matter? Cause if life is an uphill battle, we all tryna climb with the same ol' ladder, in the same boat, with the same ol' paddle. Why so shallow?"

As long as the illusion could be mainainted

The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton
Chapters 8 & 9
"I have been excluded from those sacred precincts long before I met Mrs. Hatch. As far as I can see, there is very little real difference in being inside or out, and I remember your once telling me that it was only those inside who took the difference seriously" (Wharton, page 228).

Irony at its finest has FINALLY come out in Lily Bart. She ironically restates what Selden has harped since the time we met the two characters in chapter one. As Selden and Lily fight about her current placement with Mrs. Hatch (I thought she was divorce), I am pleased that Selden has also become confrontational! Believe me his return was enough but his change is even better! Along with Selden, Lily has changed as a character as well. (That is what she says at least. Hopefully she can convert that into action.) I am quite excited with these changes in these characters. I believed that Lily would never change as she always inched close to a change and then recoiled before the change could be made permanent or life changing for her. On another note, I am quite upset that Selden is seemingly upset with Lily. My plans for their eventual marriage seem to be diminishing but at least he is looking out for her. I found myself upset when she assumed that he would not come to her aid on his own. Although Selden jumped around that idea, I still believe that he would do anything for Lily. 
One thing that does perplex me from these chapters is why Selden tore up the address of Lily's location. He seemed really upset Lily was with Mrs. Hatch. Is he worried Lily will still attempt to regain her eroded social standing. She cannot be that irresponsible, but then again, she does tend to surprise me with her foolish choices.
Particularly throughout reading and more so now, I find the irony of the relation of this novel to the society of today. Seeing many celebrities diminish their lives in their fame and fortune is surprising in our time but even more surprising that it goes back more than a hundred years at least. Michael Jackson to Whitney Houston and Amy Winehouse have seen to most lavish experiences as a celebrities to the worst ending in their eventual death. Hopefully Lily has a sense to at least continue her life in a way she wants to be remembered and not in a pity of her failure. 
(Although not really related, I thought of this song and relation to the novel. Seems to similarly describe Lily's relationship with her mother or anyone else that acted as a mentor to her with her rise in the social ladder. And then her fall!)

Thursday, July 12, 2012

Friendly Matters


The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton
Chapters 6 & 7
"'I do believe what you say, Mr. Rosedale,' she said quietly; 'and I am ready to marry you whenever you wish'" (Wharton, page 205).


By this point in the novel, I am more than proud of Lily for making a decision about her future. Although the decision was brought about through her social downfall, she attempted to actually make a good choice for her future stability. Rosedale does decline at this point because of her downfall but gives her a chance to change his mind. The theme of the black-mail and revenge plays again as Rosedale tries to convince Lily to use the letters from Bertha Dorset to Selden as a way to get back into the social circle. I am glad that Rosedale advises her to use them quietly and not publicly as I am sure that would cause more harm than good. 
Describes Lily
Another aspect I have noticed is that Lily and other socially active people change their friends frequently. Lily was close with Selden and Mrs. Trenor, and then moved to new friends at different points in the novel including Gerty Farish, Mrs. Fisher, Mrs. Gormer, and Mr. and Mrs. Dorset. I find it silly to change friends so often and that aspect has seemed to bring a downfall to Lily as well.
As I was proud of Lily, I am also proud of Mr. Dorset. When he confronted Lily about their relationship, I wanted to applaud him. He confronted her. My last comment was that these people seem to avoid confrontational situations but I am pleased that Mr. Dorset became an exception to a close-minded society. Likewise, Rosedale seemed to do the same yet he had different intentions than Dorset as Rosedale was focused on getting something out of Lily. 
In reference to Wharton's writing style, her dialogue has struck me finally while reading these two chapters. I never noticed before but she uses colons frequently before a character speaks. Other times though, she seems to use no punctuation. In another note, I thought that separate paragraphs were needed when another person speaks, but she tends to run all of it together in paragraphs. I am not sure why she does this but it can create confusions sometimes.
On a side note, I have been listing to the audiobook of Youtube while reading to help understand scenes. I was caught off-guard when I was listening to chapter six. From the physical copy I have, chapter six ends at a different spot than the audiobook and runs into chapter seven. I thought this was different and was curious as to why the audiobook was split up differently there. Everywhere else it followed perfectly. 
Another side note, I was listening to One Direction earlier, and I thought Lily was described in this song.
(As I have progressed through my blog posts, I have noticed that I seem to be a little all over the place. I try to write about the main points I notice while reading and use a lot of different aspects to compose my blogs as multiple response guides fit with each set of chapters.)

Ugliness of Failure

The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton
Chapters 4 & 5
"If my old friends choose to believe lies about me I shall have to make new ones, that's all; and you know beggars mustn't be choosers" (Wharton, page 191).

Lily further aggravates me in chapters four and five. If nothing else, losing her inheritance was her own fault and she has no reason to gripe. Her aunt told her she was disappointed in her and that her health was declining because of it. Lily should have stayed behind to sort things out with her aunt instead of getting into a giant mess in Europe. There are times when I am reading and want to reach through the book and smack sense into Lily. Her escapades are getting quite irritating like many of the celebrities of our time that tell the world what they do every minute of everyday on social media websites. I am beginning to give up on her and hope for someone else to do well. If Lily keeps this up, I will have to stop wishing for her and Selden to figure themselves out as he deserves better than what she is presently doing. Along with that. WHERE IS SELDEN? He is by far my favorite character as he is seemingly sensible in a way that many of these other people lack. I went two chapters without him so he better be in the next few.
With Mrs. Peniston's death I am wondering her purpose in the novel. She did create critique for Lily but not in a way that changed Lily. Definitely not like Selden seemed to have a hold on Lily. I understand she acted as a parent to Lily but without a change in Lily, I see no purpose in her presence. Hopefully with Lily being disinherited, Peniston will come of use in order to teach Lily a lesson in her slowly diminishing life.
Lastly, Carry Fisher. I cannot figure this woman out. She is so bipolar in her relationships to where it is getting ridiculous with Lily. Why would Lily listen to this woman after everything Lily has been through? All of these people seem to be wishy-washy in their relationships. Obviously Mrs. Fisher feels she will get something out of setting up Lily's marriage. No one in this society seems to do anything out of the good of their heart. Everything is done for something in exchange.

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Yes, she was matchless.

The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton
Chapters 2 & 3
"Assume that everything is as usual" (Wharton, page 169).

The social escapades of Lily Bart have displayed the different aspects of her society. As I found in the novel so far, Lily runs from herself the whole novel thus far. She has numerous chances to be wed but has an excuse or has royally screwed each and every one. She has met proposals or a likewise gesture from Selden, Trenor, Rosedale, an Italian prince, Dorset, and other men enchanted by her beauty. If Lily was so set on marrying for money, why did she not marry Rosedale or the Italian prince. She excused herself from marrying Selden due to his lack of money and of Rosedale because she had a distaste for him. Selden and Rosedale have proved to be complete opposites of each other yet not the one package Lily must be looking for. As Lily runs from her debt and different marriages, I foresee her falling into a deep hole of agony that she will not be able to gain herself after. I am deeply surprised that Selden has even considered Lily after their three month hiatus. I was sure that he was done with her after catching her with Trenor (although I know that she was escaping Trenor at the time). 
Another aspect of their social society I noticed was the tendency to jump around the gun in conversations instead of approaching someone about an issue. Instead of directly speaking to Lily about the Trenor event, Selden decided to brush it off and leave it a barrier to their relationship. Likewise, the Dorsets will not talk about their marital issues. Instead, they decide to hide each other from their side relationships. I do not understand why any of these people cannot have a decent conversation with another person. 
As the novel continues, I hope to see these people reconcile with each other, especially Selden and Lily. They seem to remind of the book and movie The Notebook. They had a thing early in the book and their break in time has seemed to leave them without words. I hope they are able to rekindle their relationship and Selden can help Lily see that she does not need money to be happy in her life. Likewise, The Notebook follows Allie, a young rich girl who must marry a young rich man, and Noah, a lower class townsman who loves Allie but cannot provide money for her. The couple is able to see past Allie's parents and are able to reunite by the end of the book. Although I see this very unlikely for Lily and Selden, I do wish that this would happen. 

Style

The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton
Chapters 15 & 1
"She was realising for the first time that a woman's dignity may cost more to keep up then her carriage; and that the maintenance of a moral attribute should be dependent on dollars and cents made the world appear a more sordid place than she had conceived it" (Wharton, page 138).

The progression from Book 1 to Book 2 was a giant leap. The intentions of the splitting of the novel seem to leave mystery in the story. Information from the three months is crutial to understand the relationships between the characters. Lily seems to have a better understand of her society before she leaves to Europe and I hope she uses that to her advantage further into the second book. I have noticed while I was reading that Wharton has a tendency to jump into the action and explain the circumstances and reasoning later. I have had many times where I was utterly confused while reading a dialogue. I would attempt to re-read a section of dialogue and nothing more would come to me. By trudging through, more details and facts are revealed to make the dialogue make sense. In this way, I sometimes have to reference myself back to previous passages in order to get a full understanding of the situation. This is all especially true at the beginning of each of the books in the novel. 
My favorite book of her's!
From chapter to chapter, I have noticed another type of style. The first half of the chapter tends to be a lot of description. Sometimes I find the description unnecessary and excessive but other times, I am given an idea of what the outcome of the following scene will be. This might seen contradictory to my previous statement about her style, but Wharton tends to be jumpy in the dialogue where it can be hard to follow but very through in her descriptions. 
Towards the end of Book 1 and what I have read in Book 2, Wharton has reminded me of my favorite author of all time, Jodi Picoult. Wharton and Picoult both use a technique where each chapter is from the point of view of a different character. Picoult writes each character in first person while Wharton switches third person between Lily and Selden a few times in this span of the book. This is by far my favorite aspect of Wharton's writing that I like because I like seeing all of the pieces of the story come together in the novel. 

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

I'm a Little Dizzy Now!

The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton
Chapters 13 & 14
"Hallo! as the door opened and two figures were seen silhouetted against the hall-light. At the same moment a hansom halted at the kerb-stone, and one of the figures floated down to it in a haze of evening draperies; while the other, black and bulky, remained persistently projected against the light" (Wharton, pages 130-131).

With progression into the next few chapters, Wharton switched around her style to get a point across. I am not fully sure of her point but I assume that it will be answered in the chapters to come. Wharton decided to flip around the scenes where the events went out of order. In doing this, Wharton allowed for the same scene to be seen from two different points of view to get two different perspectives. Although this type of writing can cause my mind to go dizzy and confused, I was able to figure out the order of events by the end of the chapters. When the first point of view of Lily leaving the Trenor's house, a figure is noted to be seen. The figure ran off like I suspected and I assumed that it was Selden. My theory was factual as Wharton re-runs the scene with Selden as the character of focus. As he spots Lily getting into the hansom, he runs off like the paralleled scene. I quite like this style of writing as sometimes I am quite unsure of what is actually going on in everyone's minds and it is nice to know what each character sees from their point of view. From this particular scene I have a feeling that it was to note to the reader that Selden will always be chasing her as he has been for the entirety of the novel. 
In another instance with Selden (by far my favorite character), his cousin, Gerty Farish, is quite annoying. She cannot decide what she wants of Selden or Lily. She is content being Lily's friend because Lily is popular but cannot stand that fact the Lily is captivation Selden. I find it quite creepy for Gerty to be interested in her cousin in such a way. I thought the society was well over those close of relationships and marriages. Either way, I do not like this girl and find that she could be devious for bother Selden and Lily in the future.

I'll never let go, Jack. I promise.

The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton
Chapters 11 & 12
"The noble buoyancy of her attitude, its suggestion of soaring grace, revealed the touch of poetry in her beauty that Selden always felt in her presence, yet lose the sense of when he was not with her. 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" (Wharton, page 109).

As the book has progressed into its many elements, one evident comparison I have found is of Lily and Selden's relationship to that of Jack and Rose's from the movie Titanic. In the same way, I have found myself to dislike Lily as much as I dislike Rose. Both of these women were careless in their ways. I am sure Rose did not mean it intentionally but every time I watch the movie, I am angered in which the movie plays out. My dad and I have the same issue with the movie that there was plenty of room on the door Rose used to float on for both her and Jack. There was no reason for Jack to have to die. In the same way, Lily has now viable reason for leaving Selden out in the cold. He has clearly told her by this point that he will do anything for her. I foresee that a similar ending will come for both Selden and Lily as she will leave him in the cold with no reason of action. I feel sorry for Selden as he is in love with a woman who does not see his love. 
In terms of the style of writing of Wharton, I have noticed that she tends to use large descriptions before a scene that can foreshadow the events of a scene. Earlier in the book when Selden and Lily went on their pleasant walk together, a long descriptive portion set up the walk to be a pleasant and uplifting event for the novel. Likewise, Wharton used description again to set up Selden and Lily's time together in chapter twelve: "Selden and Lily stood still, accepting the unreality of the scene as a part of their own dream-like sensations. It would not have surprised them to feel a summer breeze on their faces, or to see the lights among the boughs reduplicated in the arch of a starry sky" (Wharton, page 111). In another writing element, Wharton uses drawn out analogies to describe an instance: "But society, amused for a while at playing Cinderella, soon wearied of the hearthside role, and welcomed the Fairy Godmother in the shape of any magician powerful enough to turn the shrunken pumpkin back again into the golden coach" (Wharton, page 98). In this analogy, Wharton was able to describe the Wall Street crisis of the time involving Rosedale in a way where more people could understand. 

Revenge and Envy

The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton
Chapters 9 & 10
As Wharton continues the quest through Lily Bart's story, many descriptive passages lead to the foreshadowing and telling of the story. When Mrs. Haffen stopped by to see Lily, a foreshadowing of events was brought on by the description of Mrs. Haffen herself as follows: "Lily, to whom the name conveyed nothing, opened the door upon a woman in a battered bonnet, who stood firmly planted under the hall-light. The glare of the unshaded gas shone familiarly on her pockmarked face and the reddish baldness visible through thin strands of straw-coloured hair. Lily looked at the charwoman in surprise" (Wharton, page 82). The line describing Mrs. Haffen led me to believe that the situation in which Lily found herself was not going to be a pleasant one that would end well. In fact, this very encounter brought me to a theme in the book that I noticed seemed to show up a lot. 
Revenge or in my mind, black mailing, seems to be a prominent factor in the lives of these upper class people. Specifically as mentioned in the book, "...she has a vision of the elaborate machinery of revenge which a word of this commanding young lady's might set in motion" (Wharton, page 86). Lily remarks that she must keep the letters she received from Mrs. Haffen to be able to use them later as a way to get back at Bertha Dorsett for corresponding with Selden. Furthermore, in many instances previously in the novel, Lily must be careful who she corresponds and spends time with as many people talk. Many people of her time use these instances to get back at others and cause others turmoil. Likewise, "The girl was evidently nervous, and Mr. Rosedale, if he saw no other means of advancing his acquaintance with her, was not above taking advantage of her nervousness" (Wharton, page 93). As I continued through these chapters, more and more instances of people making potential revenge seem to be evident and act as a way for people to acquire what they want out of another. 
Envy as another theme seems to rock the people of Lily's people. Everyone seems envious of another which also seems counteracting to some of the people so persistent on going to church. Much like today, people go to church but do not follow what they preach. "She pictured herself leading such a life as theirs - a life in which achievement seemed as squalid as failure - and the vision made her shudder sympathetically" (Wharton, page 90).

Monday, July 9, 2012

Gus Trenor

The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton
Chapters 7 & 8
"She was too genuinely ignorant of the manipulations of the stock-market to understand his technical explanations, or even perhaps to perceive that certain points in them were slurred; the haziness enveloping the transaction served as a veil for her embarrassment, and through the general blur her hopes dilated like lamps in a fog" (Wharton, page 68)

As a new minor character, Gus Trenor has taken a storm in Lily's plans. I almost thought there was a chance that Lily would decide to give up her ridiculous hopes of marrying Percy Gryce and be with Selden. To my dismay, Trenor convinces Lily that he can attain money for her without any cost to her. I think he is using Lily for some other means that by this point are unclear. With a plan put in place by Trenor, Lily agrees although she even admits to herself that she is unsure of what it all really means to her. From the quote above, Wharton remarks on Lily's actions and like myself, agrees that Lily really has not idea what she is getting herself into but has clouded her mind and actions with the idea that she is going to get money without no harm. Even in the society of today, nothing is ever free. Furthermore, Gus and Lily see each other again at a wedding and he asks her to stay with him and his wife for some weeks so he can help her attain more money. Lily graciously declines and moves on to be alone at the party. I am glad she declined as I am still unsure of Trenor as a character as he seems to be up to no good. He then again interrupts her conversation with Selden at the party so she could get Rosedale on Lily's and his good side to help with the stock-market escapade. As the book continues, I am sure I will get a better picture of Trenor's true purpose in Lily's money search. Hopefully, Lily will be able to figure it out before it is too late as a man like Trenor does not seem apt to be gracious in his actions, time, or money. 

Sunday, July 8, 2012

As it Appears

The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton
Chapters 5 & 6
"No; but your taking a walk with me is only another way of making use of your material. You are an artist, and I happen to be the bit of colour you are using today. It's part of your cleverness to be able to produce premeditated effects extemporaneously" (Wharton, page 53)

With the reprise of Mr. Selden came a string of events that seemed to be speaking directly to the character of Miss. Lily Bart. From his appearance at the house where Lily is staying to their walk together in the afternoon, Lily is seemingly taken back by Selden's remarks about her. As a reader, I believe that Wharton used Selden as her voice to the issue she has at hand in terms of Lily. As she is writing the words for Selden, it is almost as if Wharton is speaking instead of the rich young man that Selden is. I understand that he has potential to be a sensible man of money but the views he has of Lily almost appear to be from an opinion of someone who sees the whole situation. With remarks such as "...it's as hard for rich people to get into as the kingdom of heaven" (Wharton, page 55) and "And so it is with your rich people - they may not be thinking of money, but they're breathing it all the while; take them into another element and see how they squirm and gasp!" (Wharton, page 55). As Selden condemns the rich people that Lily surrounds herself with, he is able to see right through the picture Lily painting of herself of a woman who truly fits in with those people. Lily seems to react in a way that she broke down her barrier but she returns to the usual ways of Lily Bart in which Selden cannot reach her. 

On a more random note from this section but dealing with Wharton's writing, Wharton seems to mix up Miss. Bart and Lily quite a bit throughout which makes it quite confusing when reading a passage. She seems to be confusing and jumpy when in thoughts and sometimes it can take time to reconnect to the storyline. 

Friday, July 6, 2012

Complexity of the Finest

The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton
Chapters 2, 3, & 4
"She liked to think of her beauty as a power for good, as giving her the opportunity to attain a position where she should make her influence felt in the vague diffusion of refinement and good taste" (Wharton, pg. 27)
As I was reading through the story of Lily's past and present life, I could not help but think that it compared so closely to the story line of the television show, Desperate Housewives. From the complete dependance of wealth expressed by Lily's mother much like the life of the women of Wisteria Lane. Her mother is thriving for money from a husband who cannot keep up with her. Although not specifically stated, I am sure her mother's attitude after her dad announced they were ruined, buried him. He was ruined monetarily but ruined emotionally by his wife who only cared for the money he put in her pocket. The relationship of her mother to Lily and Lily's father made me feel pity for Lily as her mother told her to use her beauty to get her money for her future.
Farther along in the reading, I once again became quite disappointed in the actions of Lily. She was given a life for which she could find a husband but has pushed herself too far. She is unsure of who she really wants to marry and if she should only marry for money. I cannot find the words to explain that she has made herself into a fake Lily that needs to realize that she will end up just like her mother if she plans to be a type of "gold digger" for money that she does not need to survive. She just wants money to be a wealthy person of her time to hang out with people that only care for money in the world. 
As far as the writing goes, there are wonderfully written portions that I feel give the innermost detail of the place and event whereas other portions seem to leave me lost and confused. Likewise, in the conversation between Lily and Mrs. Trenor seemed to display the immense complexity of the class in which they belong. I was throughly confused and lost as a bunch of names were listed along with the issues they have at hand, almost as if I was reading myself into a daily Soap Opera such as General Hospital.