“Lily remembered Nettie’s words I knew he knew about me” (Wharton 260). In the last three chapters Lily finally finds herself but it is already too late to save herself. The end of the book gets more mournful and gloomy. This setting fits the ending. I actually got a sense that she might die early before it happened. After you discover how demoralized Lily is she then manages to do the morally right thing in the end. In the second to last chapter you are introduced to Nettie Struther. This reminds the reader that Lily has accomplished good things in her life. This visit also gives the reader hope that Lily will be able to attain happiness finally. Lily does find happiness but is too tired to realize what she has found and dies before she can truly attain it.
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
The House of Mirth / Edith Wharton / (book 2) Ch 10 & 11
“‘that’s all right it’s a queer-acting drug. A drop or two more, and off you go-the doctors don’t know why’” (Wharton 234). With this comment Edith Wharton shows how much medicine Lily is taking to fall to sleep. This also shows how unhappy and worried she has become. Lily has been forced to work in a hat shop living a dull life. This she hates and tries to fight even when she is poor by trying to live in as nice of a hotel she can afford. I found a motif in the book continued mention of Greek myth and the furies.
The House of Mirth / Edith Wharton / (book 2) Ch 8 & 9
In chapter eight the imagery of a fight is used again. “Her superior gifts would make it easy for her to dominate her adversary” (Wharton 212). The use of the word adversary makes it seam like a life or death struggle. In the story it may seem like a life or death struggle to Miss Bart but I find it slightly amusing to picture it as a fight. I also find it interesting that Lily’s avenues of returning to a luxurious life are so few but she still cannot choose a path to take and stick to. I find it sad that even when she is so low her pride still blinds her to Selden love.
The House of Mirth / Edith Wharton / (book 2) Ch 6 & 7
In chapter 6 the relation ship between Mr. Dorset and Miss Bart is explained more deeply. “‘I Am still more sorry for you, then’, she interposed without irony; ‘but you must see that I am not exactly the person with whom the subject can be discussed’” (Wharton 196). Mr. Dorset still wishes to be friends and could easily become more if Lily asked him to do so. She however shows a moral fortitude in averting him away from this action. She also helps to protect him by suggesting strongly that they cannot be friends. Carry Fisher continues to be a single tether to Miss Bart’s old life. Carry Fisher also continues to advise Miss Bart in was in which she could stop Mrs. Dorset’s assault on her life.
The House of Mirth / Edith Wharton / (book 2) Ch 4 & 5
“And the residue of my estate to my dear cousin and name-sake, Grace Julia Stepney” (Wharton 180). This line of Mrs. Peniston’s will shows her to be a flat character. She seams to be to her death only interested in the joyous gossip of the rich and their parties. When it comes to the scandalous side of the rich she ignores it. She seams to believe that it only happens in history or books. This aversion to immorality is shown by her when she disinherits Miss Bart. After her disinheritance Lily is helped by Carry Fisher and Gerty to deal with this situation. Carry Fisher introduces lily to another group of people more excepting of people and she suggest people she could marry to relieve herself of her financial burdens.
The House of Mirth / Edith Wharton / (book 2) Ch 2 & 3
In chapter two Lily is in a position which should be a relaxing vacation. This is shown to be a false hope or a childish dream. Mrs. Dorset continues to be an antagonist to Miss Bart. Her role as an opponent of Miss Bart’s grows and she becomes a larger influence in Lily’s life. “A chill of fear passed over Miss Bart: a sense of remembered treachery that was like the gleam of a knife in the dusk” (Wharton 168). In this sentence I like the imagery of the gleaming knife. This image refers back to previous acts of Mrs. Dorset which caused Lily to lose a chance at marrying Mr. Percy Gryce. In chapter three Selden is shown to have a continued interest in helping to protect Miss Bart. He is called to help the Dorset ’s with their troubled marriage.
The House of Mirth / Edith Wharton / Ch 15 & (book 2) Ch 1
“She saw her evening-dress and opera-cloak lying in a tawdry heap on a chair” (Wharton 136). This line shows Lily’s continued revulsion to dullness and ugliness. This is a suggestion though that this may be a continuance in her future. It also represent he fall from the riches standards. The use of the word tawdry in the sentence still represents her will to bring herself out of dullness. It is an effective use of diction by Edith Wharton. It represents the vernacular of the cultured class. It also shows how ingrained in Lily the mannerisms of the high class have been driven that even in such a depressed state she still acts regal.
The House of Mirth / Edith Wharton / Ch 13 & 14
In chapter 13 Mr. Trenor becomes an antagonist. “No, she must fight her way out alone” (Wharton 119). This quote shows how lily and Mr. Trenor are opposed to each other. The quote also uses imagery. It gives the mental image of a hard fight. This fight is against Mr. Trenor ho seamed earlier like a blessing and timely escape from her problems.
Chapter 14 shifts view points to Selden and Gerty. This chapter shows a shift in Selden ’s character. This shift makes him a dynamic character. The conversation between Gerty and Selden shows how much he cares for Lily and how she has made him change his philosophy about life.
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
The House of Mirth / Edith Wharton / Ch. 12
I found chapter 12 an insight into Gerty Farish’s character. She is a flat character. She finds enjoyment in simple things and lives simply. Earlier in the book Lily stated that she could not live like her because it would be to dull but Gerty seams to be having more enjoyment out of life with less scrutiny than Lily.
I liked Gerty’s remark about Lily’s painting. “It makes her look like the real Lily-the lily I know” (Wharton 110). This remark along with Selden ’s shows closeness between Selden and Gerty not previously expressed. Those phrases also show a more clear vision seen by both of them of what Lily could become if were not so entrenched in her need for luxury.
I don’t like how Edith Wharton uses italicized words which are not English or at least not used any more in English. With these words she does not give an explanation of what they mean. She leaves the reader to infer their meaning from the text but it takes the next half a page to do so. This causes the reader to then re read that section to gain its full meaning.
The House of Mirth / Edith Wharton / Ch. 11
The beginning of chapter 11 has three pages of narrations of characters thoughts. This section helps the reader understand more fully what the characters treat as important and valuable. This section also gives the reader a break from the continual conniving conversations in the previous chapters. It is confusing though how fast the book then returns to a conversation between Grace Stepney and Mrs. Peniston about Miss Bart’s previous actions. It explanations why Grace would bring up the topic of Lily and Mr. Trenor but I feel that the author should have wrote more of opening to the conversation.
I find Mrs. Peniston to be a flat character. In the book it says, “It was really pitiable to be as ignorant of the world as Mrs. Peniston” (Wharton 100). This quote and a previous statement in the book show her to pay attention to the niceties of society. She is however ignorant of any disreputable gossip about Miss Bart. Mrs. Peniston’s ignorance of Lily’s social misstates reminds me of my grandparents ignorance when it comes to computers.
The House of Mirth / Edith Wharton / Ch. 9 &10
Grace Stepney seams to be characterized as an antagonist to Lily Bart. She is painted in a light with Mrs. Peniston of a more helpful and caring relative. Although Grace’s ideas and actions align more with Mrs. Peniston and she is more reliable, Lily is still considered more enjoyable to have around and grace only comes when Lily is absent for large periods of time. Another character which reenters the story is Mrs. Haffen. She had appeared twice before cleaning stairs which Lily was walking up and had to navigate around. She represents a form of life which is repulsive and rejected by Lily but is still a possibility in her future if she fails in her goal of marrying a rich man which she has recently done. Her disapproval of Mrs. Haffen’s class is represented by the narrators reasoning for her delayed in saying, “like all her class she had to go a long way back to make a beginning, and it was only after a pause that she replied” (Wharton 83). This idea also shows a gap in between the rich and poor. What Mrs. Haffen offers Lily seams to me to be very devious, and may allude to the possibility of a disreputable future for Miss Bart. This future however is in the control of Miss Bart and will rely on what she decides to do with the letters. The letters may be a constant temptation if they are kept.
The House of Mirth / Edith Wharton / Ch. 5, 6, 7, & 8
Miss Bart makes an extreme mistake. This mistake causes her to lose he chance at marrying Percy. This mistake is made in part because Selden arrives at the Bellomont to see Miss Bart. It is made clear that it is her fault when Selden states to her, “It’s a part of your cleverness to be able to produce premeditated effects extemporaneously” (Wharton 52). This shows that she is in control of her destiny but does not seam to have the ability to avoid disaster. Selden becomes more important to her life but is still a foil character to Lily. He embodies all the qualities that appose the life she is striving for. Miss Bart makes an antagonist of Bertha because she shows by accident that Selden came to visit and not Bertha. This accidental action causes Bertha to oppose her and ensure that she does not marry Percy.
Mr. Trenor becomes a larger part of the story when Lily foolishly gets him to invest money in the stock market for her. She thinks this is a harmless action but soon realizes that it may have been less upstanding of an action than she thought.
The House of Mirth / Edith Wharton / Ch. 3 & 4
In chapter three Wharton describes and shows the reader the setting in which Miss Bart most wishes to live in. Wharton also shows how easily this could be attained if lily uses all of her faculties. Miss Bart is close to achieving goals but has had a hard time of it and continually loses ground because of silly unforeseen mistakes and set backs. This chapter shows even further her differences towards Percy. Later in the chapter Lily reflects on her past most specifically how she was razed to live in this world. This also shows were she got her disgust for dullness. This is shown using the cliché of “live like a pig” (Wharton 23). These things give and image of and setting of how she was razed. Miss Bart’s distance from her goals is showed by her dependence on others. This most expressed in her having to help Mrs. Trenor’s with writing letter when her secretary was gone.
The House of Mirth / Edith Wharton / Ch. 2
Mr. Rosedale seams to become an antagonist to Miss Bart. She does not realize how he has become an obstacle to her until it is too late to fix it effectively. He wished to use her to lift himself up the social ladder. She denies him this chance because she finds him disagreeable. Mr. Rosedale is directly characterized as an opportunist by Edith Wharton by writing, “Mr. Simon Rosedale was a man who made it his business to know everything about every one” (Wharton 11). Mr. Percy Gryce is a foil character to Miss Bart. He is opposite of her in his values. She smokes and he has never smoked in his life. She gambles at cards and he strongly disapproves of gambling. I find it interesting that Miss Bart is so skilled at manipulating others that she could get Percy to think of marrying her when they are so obtusely different.
The House of Mirth / Edith Wharton / Ch.1
The start of the book with the first page it becomes confusing who is talking. I had to reread the first two pages twice to figure it out. This confusion I figured out came from the fact that the narrator is speaking from a third person omniscient point of view. With this point of view confused me before I could get used to the characters in the start of the story. This confusion was do to the fact that the author imputed the thoughts and words of both the characters almost right from the start. These words were intermingled without clear distinction of which thoughts and words went to which character.
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