The House of Mirth
Edith Wharton
After I finished the novel, I felt like I had been abused and confused, in the sense that we're left hanging here, wondering if she actually did die, and what her last word was. It was a cliff-hanger. I was overall very impressed, Wharton's writing style is timeless and intriguing through the use of metaphors and imagery. I didn't find myself bored, and was constantly frustrated and stabbed by the awful twist in the plot of the love between Lily and Seldon.
Also, I was frustrated by the absence of Wharton's answers. She proposed social issues, just to let them die with the main character- unless that's the point. It could be that she left these questions unfinished to alert the audience and elicit cause for discussion and controversy.
"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 all clear" (Wharton, 268).
The end of the novel is painful, but it's comforting that something was made clear between them, and it makes me hopeful that she responded with the word "love".
I don't even think Wharton knows what the word is, it probably doesn't even matter. I'm frustrated.
Sunday, July 15, 2012
14. If Only
The House of Mirth
Edith Wharton
"If only life could end now- end on this tragic yet sweet vision of lost possibilities, which gave her a sense of kinship with all the loving and forgoing in the world!" (Wharton, 261).
If only, if only. I wonder what Wharton's logic was in taking Lily's life so close to a happy ending. After talking with Mrs. Nettie Struther and receiving a check for her inheritance, she realizes what her life could have been, and she just barely seems to have a taste of the "sweet vision" that could have been reality. I really enjoyed that Lily took well what Mrs. Struther had to say, and that her kind of life seemed in reach to Lily, and this is the real breakthrough that I've seen with her. Maybe it's because she may be dying- there always has to be a great epiphany before the dramatic close! At the same time, maybe she wasn't ready for this new plan, this new future. Her overdose could symbolize her inadequacy to envision herself apart from what she had always seen for herself. As I recall, Wharton did point out that "the utmost reach of her imagination did not go beyond picturing her usual life in a new setting" (Wharton, 81). I don't understand how she could be ready for an ending, or especially one this far off from being happy.
Edith Wharton
"If only life could end now- end on this tragic yet sweet vision of lost possibilities, which gave her a sense of kinship with all the loving and forgoing in the world!" (Wharton, 261).
If only, if only. I wonder what Wharton's logic was in taking Lily's life so close to a happy ending. After talking with Mrs. Nettie Struther and receiving a check for her inheritance, she realizes what her life could have been, and she just barely seems to have a taste of the "sweet vision" that could have been reality. I really enjoyed that Lily took well what Mrs. Struther had to say, and that her kind of life seemed in reach to Lily, and this is the real breakthrough that I've seen with her. Maybe it's because she may be dying- there always has to be a great epiphany before the dramatic close! At the same time, maybe she wasn't ready for this new plan, this new future. Her overdose could symbolize her inadequacy to envision herself apart from what she had always seen for herself. As I recall, Wharton did point out that "the utmost reach of her imagination did not go beyond picturing her usual life in a new setting" (Wharton, 81). I don't understand how she could be ready for an ending, or especially one this far off from being happy.
13. Analogies and Such
The House of Mirth
Edith Wharton
"It was, however, only figuratively that the discrimination of Mrs. Hatch's world could be described as dim: in actual fact, Lily found herself seated in a blaze of electric light, impartially projected from various ornamental excrescences on a vast concavity of pink damask and gilding, from which she rose like Venus from her shell" (Wharton, 222).
Wharton does a stellar job of exuding pictures from the text of her plot. She describes Mrs. Hatch with such vivid color, sense and touch. Wharton perfectly combines an allusion and an analogy for Mrs. Hatch.
Later on Lily is listening into the gossip of the "working-girls' mind", "On and on it flowed, a current of meaningless sound, on which, startlingly enough, a familiar name now and them floated to the surface" (Wharton, 232). She compares the rush of the voices to the rush of a river, it flowed as a current, names floated to the surface.
Wharton also uses personification, metaphors, and similes to appeal to imagery. One particular simile, Seldon was faced with the temptation of reading a letter to Trenor, "Temptation leapt on him like the stab of a knife" (Wharton, 266).
Pieces like these are thrown across the pages of the novel, and the audience can be mystified by the analogies used to make apparent the content on the page so that we can imagine the scenario at it is.
Edith Wharton
"It was, however, only figuratively that the discrimination of Mrs. Hatch's world could be described as dim: in actual fact, Lily found herself seated in a blaze of electric light, impartially projected from various ornamental excrescences on a vast concavity of pink damask and gilding, from which she rose like Venus from her shell" (Wharton, 222).
Wharton does a stellar job of exuding pictures from the text of her plot. She describes Mrs. Hatch with such vivid color, sense and touch. Wharton perfectly combines an allusion and an analogy for Mrs. Hatch.
Later on Lily is listening into the gossip of the "working-girls' mind", "On and on it flowed, a current of meaningless sound, on which, startlingly enough, a familiar name now and them floated to the surface" (Wharton, 232). She compares the rush of the voices to the rush of a river, it flowed as a current, names floated to the surface.
Wharton also uses personification, metaphors, and similes to appeal to imagery. One particular simile, Seldon was faced with the temptation of reading a letter to Trenor, "Temptation leapt on him like the stab of a knife" (Wharton, 266).
Pieces like these are thrown across the pages of the novel, and the audience can be mystified by the analogies used to make apparent the content on the page so that we can imagine the scenario at it is.
12. Wharton: Sticking it to the Rich Prudes
The House of Mirth
Edith Wharton
Wharton really slams the upper class, and even executes these harsh observations through Lily's eyes.
"Through this atmosphere of torrid splendour, moved wan beings as well upholstered as the furniture, beings without definite pursuits or permanent relations, who drifted on a languid tide of curiosity from restaurant to concert-hall, from palm-garden to music room, from 'art exhibit' to dress-maker's opening" (Wharton, 222).
Calling these people indefinite in terms of their pursuits, or that they walk aimlessly from the restaurant to the concert-hall, are extremely harsh, but well proven views on the upper class. Our experience with Lily, her rich friends, and Rosedale have through the novel exposed them for what they truly are, nomads of their own purposes. It is slowly being revealed to Lily the corruption and shallow reachings of the class she had previously been dying to be a part of. The only concern of theirs is to remain in the upper class circle, to dwell on what they need, and to obsess with the image of themselves that is strewn across the tight circle. I love when Wharton directly insults her characters. It's a peculiar view.
Edith Wharton
Wharton really slams the upper class, and even executes these harsh observations through Lily's eyes.
"Through this atmosphere of torrid splendour, moved wan beings as well upholstered as the furniture, beings without definite pursuits or permanent relations, who drifted on a languid tide of curiosity from restaurant to concert-hall, from palm-garden to music room, from 'art exhibit' to dress-maker's opening" (Wharton, 222).
Calling these people indefinite in terms of their pursuits, or that they walk aimlessly from the restaurant to the concert-hall, are extremely harsh, but well proven views on the upper class. Our experience with Lily, her rich friends, and Rosedale have through the novel exposed them for what they truly are, nomads of their own purposes. It is slowly being revealed to Lily the corruption and shallow reachings of the class she had previously been dying to be a part of. The only concern of theirs is to remain in the upper class circle, to dwell on what they need, and to obsess with the image of themselves that is strewn across the tight circle. I love when Wharton directly insults her characters. It's a peculiar view.
11. The Writing Itself
The House of Mirth
Edith Wharton
For this post I wanted to write solely about the way Wharton emotes her plot. The fashion in which she constructs her text is highly effective, I say this because it is so easy to be fascinated and "wowed" by mere phrases and lines. My friend and I were talking about this novel and we both agreed that it is very "quotable". So many lines are crafted into sometimes abstract, but also apparent themes that carry the plot that it has the perfect quotes both for a blog exclusively about this novel, but also that explain and express humanity in some way. Here's what I mean:
1. "But it is one thing to live comfortably with the abstract conception of poverty, another to be brought in contact with its human embodiments" (Wharton, 122).
I know I've already written a post dominated by this idea, but I was amazed with the connection and importance of such a far reaching topic in the context of Lily's life that is so centered around wealth.
2. "There were moments when she longed blindly for anything different, anything strange, remote and untried; but the utmost reach of her imagination did not go beyond picturing her usual life in a new setting. She could not figure herself as anywhere but in a drawing room, diffusing elegance as a flower sheds perfume" (Wharton, 81).
This quote is one with which I could once identify. Her longing for something different, something new is strong, but she can't (at this moment) imagine herself anywhere else. She lacks perspective, which is a problem many of us are faced with.
3. '"The world is too vile', she murmured, averting herself from Mrs. Fisher's anxious scrutiny. 'It's not a pretty place; and the only way to keep a footing in it is to fight it on its own terms- and above all, my dear, not alone!'" (Wharton, 204).
This is the typical "you're never alone" saying. The idea that we shouldn't be forced on in lonliness through a place not very pretty is very applicable to one view of humanity and that we should not have to fight alone.
Edith Wharton
For this post I wanted to write solely about the way Wharton emotes her plot. The fashion in which she constructs her text is highly effective, I say this because it is so easy to be fascinated and "wowed" by mere phrases and lines. My friend and I were talking about this novel and we both agreed that it is very "quotable". So many lines are crafted into sometimes abstract, but also apparent themes that carry the plot that it has the perfect quotes both for a blog exclusively about this novel, but also that explain and express humanity in some way. Here's what I mean:
1. "But it is one thing to live comfortably with the abstract conception of poverty, another to be brought in contact with its human embodiments" (Wharton, 122).
I know I've already written a post dominated by this idea, but I was amazed with the connection and importance of such a far reaching topic in the context of Lily's life that is so centered around wealth.
2. "There were moments when she longed blindly for anything different, anything strange, remote and untried; but the utmost reach of her imagination did not go beyond picturing her usual life in a new setting. She could not figure herself as anywhere but in a drawing room, diffusing elegance as a flower sheds perfume" (Wharton, 81).
This quote is one with which I could once identify. Her longing for something different, something new is strong, but she can't (at this moment) imagine herself anywhere else. She lacks perspective, which is a problem many of us are faced with.
3. '"The world is too vile', she murmured, averting herself from Mrs. Fisher's anxious scrutiny. 'It's not a pretty place; and the only way to keep a footing in it is to fight it on its own terms- and above all, my dear, not alone!'" (Wharton, 204).
This is the typical "you're never alone" saying. The idea that we shouldn't be forced on in lonliness through a place not very pretty is very applicable to one view of humanity and that we should not have to fight alone.
10. Lily's Evolution
The House of Mirth
Edith Wharton
Lily has evolved from a highly manipulative temptress to a desperate woman trying to grasp the remnants of luxury that still linger in her life. She craves, as she always has, to be both popular, and wealthy. So of course, her very last option and only potential connection to the popular bubble she wishes to be in is through Rosedale, "Beat about the question as she would, she knew the outcome of it was that she must try to marry Rosedale..." (Wharton, 20). Her final reach up from her fall of grace is with a man that actually repulses her, "Yes, he would be kind- Lily from the threshold, had time to feel- kind in his gross, unscrupulous, rapacious way, the way of the predatory creature with his mate" (Wharton, 202). Rosedale is grossly obsessed with social status as Lily is, and now ironically, he dismantles his proposal to her even now that she has accepted.
This whole section is painfully ironic, and she seems to get what she deserves, but Rosedale still pushes her to fight for her reputation, even through the use of blackmail. He suggests she blackmail Mrs. Dorset (which would especially work for Lily- she could sweep up Mr. Dorset and take him off to marry right then and there). What Lily has the heart to realize is that Seldon is at major risk in the hypothetical blackmail scenario. Her unwillingness to hurt Seldon is what protects him and Mrs. Dorset.
Edith Wharton
Lily has evolved from a highly manipulative temptress to a desperate woman trying to grasp the remnants of luxury that still linger in her life. She craves, as she always has, to be both popular, and wealthy. So of course, her very last option and only potential connection to the popular bubble she wishes to be in is through Rosedale, "Beat about the question as she would, she knew the outcome of it was that she must try to marry Rosedale..." (Wharton, 20). Her final reach up from her fall of grace is with a man that actually repulses her, "Yes, he would be kind- Lily from the threshold, had time to feel- kind in his gross, unscrupulous, rapacious way, the way of the predatory creature with his mate" (Wharton, 202). Rosedale is grossly obsessed with social status as Lily is, and now ironically, he dismantles his proposal to her even now that she has accepted.
This whole section is painfully ironic, and she seems to get what she deserves, but Rosedale still pushes her to fight for her reputation, even through the use of blackmail. He suggests she blackmail Mrs. Dorset (which would especially work for Lily- she could sweep up Mr. Dorset and take him off to marry right then and there). What Lily has the heart to realize is that Seldon is at major risk in the hypothetical blackmail scenario. Her unwillingness to hurt Seldon is what protects him and Mrs. Dorset.
Saturday, July 14, 2012
9. Losing Power
The House of Mirth
Edith Wharton
Lily is- put bluntly, moderately screwed. The one person she had always assumed was hers, has been sobered by his recognition of her faults. He no longer is in a haze of her mystery, of her enchantment, but it seems he is still drawn to her, but now he is thinking in a more realistic fashion, even pointing out the major differences between them when he says, "His real detachment from her had taken place, not at the lurid moment of disenchantment, but now, in the sober after-light of discrimination, where he saw her definitely divided from him by the crudeness of a choice which seemed to deny the very differences he felt in her" (Wharton, 174). He wants so badly to deny his feelings and unconditional care for her, but he always, and many times subliminally loves her. Even distance seems to mend itself when Lily and Seldon separate, specifically when they both end up in Monte Carlo. His ultimate care for Lily is proven once again when Lily is kicked off the Dorset's yaht, and Seldon jumps to take care of her and provide her with a place to stay that night. It is obvious that he has no power in his fight between loving Lily and leaving her. Lily hasn't completely been stripped of her power, but based off of her dwindling luck, she has far less cards in her hands and many more flat out on the table.
Edith Wharton
Lily is- put bluntly, moderately screwed. The one person she had always assumed was hers, has been sobered by his recognition of her faults. He no longer is in a haze of her mystery, of her enchantment, but it seems he is still drawn to her, but now he is thinking in a more realistic fashion, even pointing out the major differences between them when he says, "His real detachment from her had taken place, not at the lurid moment of disenchantment, but now, in the sober after-light of discrimination, where he saw her definitely divided from him by the crudeness of a choice which seemed to deny the very differences he felt in her" (Wharton, 174). He wants so badly to deny his feelings and unconditional care for her, but he always, and many times subliminally loves her. Even distance seems to mend itself when Lily and Seldon separate, specifically when they both end up in Monte Carlo. His ultimate care for Lily is proven once again when Lily is kicked off the Dorset's yaht, and Seldon jumps to take care of her and provide her with a place to stay that night. It is obvious that he has no power in his fight between loving Lily and leaving her. Lily hasn't completely been stripped of her power, but based off of her dwindling luck, she has far less cards in her hands and many more flat out on the table.
Friday, July 13, 2012
8. A Different Level
The House of Mirth
Edith Wharton
"But it is one thing to live comfortably with the abstract conception of poverty, another to be brought in contact with its human embodiments" (Wharton, 122).
For this post, I really just wanted to write and express my initial feelings about this one quote that stood out to me as if it were three dimensional on the page.
I spent some time- a week actually, just about a month ago in Mexico. I was blessed with the opportunity to experience "Serving Christ in the World" with the Youth in Mission program of the Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago. We stayed in Cuernavaca, a town in Morelos about an hour and a half away from Mexico City. One of the days we were there, we were sent out to experience the indigenous village of Cuentepec. All twenty-something of us boarded a huge tourist bus and set out to drive the hills and valleys of Morelos, Mexico. Once we entered the village, we realized that our bus was barely going to fit through the narrow paths in the town. Our bus nearly scraped the sides of the buildings that lined the streets and we nearly ran over a zoo of animals- goats, random horses galloping around the town, several hundred dogs and cats, and a coop of chickens. Once we arrived at the home of the family (families) that we were going to stay with for the day, we climbed down off our high American horses to walk on the street covered in various animal feces and through the broken gate to the courtyard. I can hardly call it a courtyard, it was merely an open space invested with puppies, chickens, and children running and playing in the dirt. At first, we were separated into two groups- a tortilla making group, and the pottery making group; I was assigned to making tortillas. My group followed Gabi, one of the mothers of the home into a cement hut covered where a few were already gathered over a large metal plate, heated by old corn husks and wood scraps set to fire. We undoubtedly were being made fun of by the women who were teaching us to make tortillas by rounding the dough into a perfect ball, flattening the dough with a press into a perfectly shaped tortilla, and gently laying the fragile dough onto the metal plate. The tricky part was when we had to use the tips of our fingers to flip the tortilla onto its other side. The ends of my fingers are calloused even now from burning my fingers over and over in hopes of making the perfect tortilla. What we then realized, after wasting dough on many sub-par tortillas, was that this process of making tortillas, and eventually beans, was a daily chore for Gabi and the others. Our "day excursion" was merely reality to them, and while it doesn't seem all that bad, what we fail to realize is that tortillas and beans is the only nutrition available in their living conditions, and that the outcome of making hundreds of pots and clay ornaments and selling them in artisan markets elicits less than minimum wage in Mexico, which is a disaster in itself at sixty pesos- five US dollars per day.
This personal view of the poverty in Mexico is rare, unless you have had to opportunity to experience it first hand. What most of us in the United States see are statistics, numbers, an "abstract conception of poverty", say, the fact that 46.2% of the Mexican population live in poverty, or that 1,900,000 children in Mexico city are homeless, or that half of the water in Mexico is too polluted to drink and the other half they do drink makes Americans sick and is infested with E. coli and bacteria we wouldn't dare consider touching in the United States. These are simple statistics and in no way care to address the individuals who have fallen "victims to fate" (Wharton, 122).
In The House of Mirth, Lily makes the realization that these people are not so much unlike her, "that the mass was composed of individual lives, innumerable separate centres of sensation, with her own eager reachings for pleasure, her own fierce revulsions from pain- that some of these bundles of feeling were clothed in shapes not so unlike here own, with eyes meant to look on gladness, and young lips shaped for love" (Wharton, 122). She sees beyond the statistics, the mass of people, to see the individuals that are made in the same way, with eyes for gladness, lips for love, and a heart for humanity.
Edith Wharton
"But it is one thing to live comfortably with the abstract conception of poverty, another to be brought in contact with its human embodiments" (Wharton, 122).
For this post, I really just wanted to write and express my initial feelings about this one quote that stood out to me as if it were three dimensional on the page.
I spent some time- a week actually, just about a month ago in Mexico. I was blessed with the opportunity to experience "Serving Christ in the World" with the Youth in Mission program of the Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago. We stayed in Cuernavaca, a town in Morelos about an hour and a half away from Mexico City. One of the days we were there, we were sent out to experience the indigenous village of Cuentepec. All twenty-something of us boarded a huge tourist bus and set out to drive the hills and valleys of Morelos, Mexico. Once we entered the village, we realized that our bus was barely going to fit through the narrow paths in the town. Our bus nearly scraped the sides of the buildings that lined the streets and we nearly ran over a zoo of animals- goats, random horses galloping around the town, several hundred dogs and cats, and a coop of chickens. Once we arrived at the home of the family (families) that we were going to stay with for the day, we climbed down off our high American horses to walk on the street covered in various animal feces and through the broken gate to the courtyard. I can hardly call it a courtyard, it was merely an open space invested with puppies, chickens, and children running and playing in the dirt. At first, we were separated into two groups- a tortilla making group, and the pottery making group; I was assigned to making tortillas. My group followed Gabi, one of the mothers of the home into a cement hut covered where a few were already gathered over a large metal plate, heated by old corn husks and wood scraps set to fire. We undoubtedly were being made fun of by the women who were teaching us to make tortillas by rounding the dough into a perfect ball, flattening the dough with a press into a perfectly shaped tortilla, and gently laying the fragile dough onto the metal plate. The tricky part was when we had to use the tips of our fingers to flip the tortilla onto its other side. The ends of my fingers are calloused even now from burning my fingers over and over in hopes of making the perfect tortilla. What we then realized, after wasting dough on many sub-par tortillas, was that this process of making tortillas, and eventually beans, was a daily chore for Gabi and the others. Our "day excursion" was merely reality to them, and while it doesn't seem all that bad, what we fail to realize is that tortillas and beans is the only nutrition available in their living conditions, and that the outcome of making hundreds of pots and clay ornaments and selling them in artisan markets elicits less than minimum wage in Mexico, which is a disaster in itself at sixty pesos- five US dollars per day.
This personal view of the poverty in Mexico is rare, unless you have had to opportunity to experience it first hand. What most of us in the United States see are statistics, numbers, an "abstract conception of poverty", say, the fact that 46.2% of the Mexican population live in poverty, or that 1,900,000 children in Mexico city are homeless, or that half of the water in Mexico is too polluted to drink and the other half they do drink makes Americans sick and is infested with E. coli and bacteria we wouldn't dare consider touching in the United States. These are simple statistics and in no way care to address the individuals who have fallen "victims to fate" (Wharton, 122).
In The House of Mirth, Lily makes the realization that these people are not so much unlike her, "that the mass was composed of individual lives, innumerable separate centres of sensation, with her own eager reachings for pleasure, her own fierce revulsions from pain- that some of these bundles of feeling were clothed in shapes not so unlike here own, with eyes meant to look on gladness, and young lips shaped for love" (Wharton, 122). She sees beyond the statistics, the mass of people, to see the individuals that are made in the same way, with eyes for gladness, lips for love, and a heart for humanity.
Gabi is the woman on the top left, the woman in white also showed us how to make tortillas and the two seated made pottery with the other group.
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
7. Unexpected Results
The House of Mirth
Edith Wharton
At the beginning of Chapter 13, I actually started to feel scared for Lily. She is undoubtably tricked into Mr. Trenor's home, and is blocked from the door outside to safety, all while being punched by his cruel words and intentions. I thought a great deal during this chapter if whether I thought Lily deserved this treatment. Mr. Trenor was demanding payment for all of his work with Lily's money, and he was immediately disappointed when Lily did not want to feed his repugnant desire to have her as his payment. Does Lily's taking advantage of him and small allowances of hand touches and flirting make it fair that Mr. Trenor could assume that she was intending to give him more? I would say of course not, but I could see that he would hope for things to head that direction. It was especially insulting to Lily, and to the reader sympathizing with Lily, when Mr. Trenor said, "Gad, you go to men's houses fast enough in broad daylight- strikes me you're not always so dueced careful of appearances" (Wharton, 118). Lily then realizes with a harsh blow to her self esteem that the men of Rosedale thought of her in this way.
Mr. Trenor stooped to this level of exposing Lily as the temptress that she was, and even though she is in fact as manipulative and kniving as he expressed, I find it utterly repulsive that he thought that it was his duty to lower her to feel the self disgust that she did, and to demand that sort of payment to settle up the supposed debts she owed him.
Edith Wharton
At the beginning of Chapter 13, I actually started to feel scared for Lily. She is undoubtably tricked into Mr. Trenor's home, and is blocked from the door outside to safety, all while being punched by his cruel words and intentions. I thought a great deal during this chapter if whether I thought Lily deserved this treatment. Mr. Trenor was demanding payment for all of his work with Lily's money, and he was immediately disappointed when Lily did not want to feed his repugnant desire to have her as his payment. Does Lily's taking advantage of him and small allowances of hand touches and flirting make it fair that Mr. Trenor could assume that she was intending to give him more? I would say of course not, but I could see that he would hope for things to head that direction. It was especially insulting to Lily, and to the reader sympathizing with Lily, when Mr. Trenor said, "Gad, you go to men's houses fast enough in broad daylight- strikes me you're not always so dueced careful of appearances" (Wharton, 118). Lily then realizes with a harsh blow to her self esteem that the men of Rosedale thought of her in this way.
Mr. Trenor stooped to this level of exposing Lily as the temptress that she was, and even though she is in fact as manipulative and kniving as he expressed, I find it utterly repulsive that he thought that it was his duty to lower her to feel the self disgust that she did, and to demand that sort of payment to settle up the supposed debts she owed him.
6. A Painful Love Story
The House of Mirth
Edith Wharton
This is now a painful love story. Seldon's love for Lily is agonizing- he loves her, even as selfish and undeserving as she is. Her need for him is far greater than she now knows, even though she admits that she once requested his help. He responds to the recall of his promise and says, "The only way I can help you is by loving you" (Wharton, 112). If Lily would only submit to the white angel on one shoulder rather than the avaricious scarlett devil on her other, she and Seldon would live a wildly passionate, beautifully crafted marriage. The simplicity of life Seldon would bring would only be simple in terms of matieral assets. He would bring her to a grounded, more earthy level, and they could develop a relationship based on an unadulterated, fuller view of what a true relationship should be. It's simply painful to see a charming, free-spirited woman like Lily go and waste herself on an idea of a man only rich with money. If only she would get herself out of her lustful fantasy with money long enough to appreciate the love and happiness Seldon gives to her.
Edith Wharton
This is now a painful love story. Seldon's love for Lily is agonizing- he loves her, even as selfish and undeserving as she is. Her need for him is far greater than she now knows, even though she admits that she once requested his help. He responds to the recall of his promise and says, "The only way I can help you is by loving you" (Wharton, 112). If Lily would only submit to the white angel on one shoulder rather than the avaricious scarlett devil on her other, she and Seldon would live a wildly passionate, beautifully crafted marriage. The simplicity of life Seldon would bring would only be simple in terms of matieral assets. He would bring her to a grounded, more earthy level, and they could develop a relationship based on an unadulterated, fuller view of what a true relationship should be. It's simply painful to see a charming, free-spirited woman like Lily go and waste herself on an idea of a man only rich with money. If only she would get herself out of her lustful fantasy with money long enough to appreciate the love and happiness Seldon gives to her.
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
5. Success and its Many Definitions
The House of Mirth
Edith Wharton
I like the way Seldon confronts Lily about her concern of money. He presents the topic by a question, a question seemingly unrelated. Seldon asks Lily, "Success- what is success?" (Wharton, 54). She responds as I would think at this point when she responds, "to get as much as one can out of life." I assume she is talking about money, wealth, and luxury, and Seldon addresses her response by giving a counter definition- success to him is "personal freedom". He means freedom from "worries, money, povery, ease and anxiety, and from material accidents", giving a kind of "republic to the spirit" (Wharton, 54). She realizes that he is implying that she should find this air of republic in her own life, and she rejects the idea that she is to blame for her view of success because she "hasn't had a choice." This seems to me like another shallow moment for Lily, but she does admit to seeing into Seldon's view of success when she's around him, which makes me think that he is very good for Lily, and hopefully (in my personal opinion), they will get together in the end so she can forever rid herself of this selfish, wildly intoxicated view of love and marriage, and be with a person that draws out the best in her.
Edith Wharton
I like the way Seldon confronts Lily about her concern of money. He presents the topic by a question, a question seemingly unrelated. Seldon asks Lily, "Success- what is success?" (Wharton, 54). She responds as I would think at this point when she responds, "to get as much as one can out of life." I assume she is talking about money, wealth, and luxury, and Seldon addresses her response by giving a counter definition- success to him is "personal freedom". He means freedom from "worries, money, povery, ease and anxiety, and from material accidents", giving a kind of "republic to the spirit" (Wharton, 54). She realizes that he is implying that she should find this air of republic in her own life, and she rejects the idea that she is to blame for her view of success because she "hasn't had a choice." This seems to me like another shallow moment for Lily, but she does admit to seeing into Seldon's view of success when she's around him, which makes me think that he is very good for Lily, and hopefully (in my personal opinion), they will get together in the end so she can forever rid herself of this selfish, wildly intoxicated view of love and marriage, and be with a person that draws out the best in her.
4. Setting the Scene- for Lily
The House of Mirth
Edith Wharton
"The afternoon was perfect. A deeper stillness possessed the air, and the glitter of the American autumn was tempered by a haze which diffused the brightness without dulling it" (Wharton, 50). Wharton does an execptional job of depicting a beautiful scene for her story. She goes on to describe the scene in terms of "woody hollows", "a faint chill", the country that "unrolled itself in pastoral distances" (Wharton, 50). All of these depictions are truly stunning images to put into my head, but what makes the incredible scene so memorable, is that the main character, Lily Bart, is so beyond finding it to her satisfaction. It's like the author and the main character are having this ongoing but behind-the-scenes banter about the setting of the book. Back in the first several pages, Lily remarks about trees along the road and about people actually having the "humanity" to plant them there (Wharton, 3). In the sixth chapter, the narrator explains Lily's disdain for the simplicity of nature even further, when she says, "Lily had no real intimacy with nature, but she had a passion for the appropriate and could be keenly sensitive to a scene which was the fitting background of her own sensations" (Wharton, 51). This exerpt clearly elicits Lily's view on the setting- that it is hers, that she paints the background in accordance with her own sensations, rather than Lily herself being a part of the background.
Edith Wharton
"The afternoon was perfect. A deeper stillness possessed the air, and the glitter of the American autumn was tempered by a haze which diffused the brightness without dulling it" (Wharton, 50). Wharton does an execptional job of depicting a beautiful scene for her story. She goes on to describe the scene in terms of "woody hollows", "a faint chill", the country that "unrolled itself in pastoral distances" (Wharton, 50). All of these depictions are truly stunning images to put into my head, but what makes the incredible scene so memorable, is that the main character, Lily Bart, is so beyond finding it to her satisfaction. It's like the author and the main character are having this ongoing but behind-the-scenes banter about the setting of the book. Back in the first several pages, Lily remarks about trees along the road and about people actually having the "humanity" to plant them there (Wharton, 3). In the sixth chapter, the narrator explains Lily's disdain for the simplicity of nature even further, when she says, "Lily had no real intimacy with nature, but she had a passion for the appropriate and could be keenly sensitive to a scene which was the fitting background of her own sensations" (Wharton, 51). This exerpt clearly elicits Lily's view on the setting- that it is hers, that she paints the background in accordance with her own sensations, rather than Lily herself being a part of the background.
3. Puppets of Lily, Puppets of Society
The House of Mirth
Edith Wharton
Poor Mr. Gryce. This show Lily is convincingly acting out is merely reality to him. She has him under the impression that she finds his "neglect of religious oberservances repugnant to her early traditions" (Wharton, 40). What an angel. She paints herself as a church-goer, and as an unmaterialistic saint. When Mr. Gryce admits to enjoying Bellomont, and the "ease and glitter of life", he also expresses concern that it is all too materialistic of a society, and he of course is overjoyed to hear that Miss Bart does not feel at home in that "ambiguous atmosphere" (Wharton, 41). He is a puppet in her show, a mere piece in her playing field, a pawn in her game. All people there in Bellomont seem to be not only under the influence of a superior rule of consumerism, but they are trapped as well into only moving and gesturing according to the "vast gorup of human automata", with no abililty to stretch outside of the furthest reach of one of their own (Wharton, 41). They are trapped in this dangerous self-indulging society and none seem to know how to remove themselves once they have been captured by the lotus flowers of Bellomont, even Lily Bart, who is seemingly the puppet master of their little show.
Edith Wharton
Poor Mr. Gryce. This show Lily is convincingly acting out is merely reality to him. She has him under the impression that she finds his "neglect of religious oberservances repugnant to her early traditions" (Wharton, 40). What an angel. She paints herself as a church-goer, and as an unmaterialistic saint. When Mr. Gryce admits to enjoying Bellomont, and the "ease and glitter of life", he also expresses concern that it is all too materialistic of a society, and he of course is overjoyed to hear that Miss Bart does not feel at home in that "ambiguous atmosphere" (Wharton, 41). He is a puppet in her show, a mere piece in her playing field, a pawn in her game. All people there in Bellomont seem to be not only under the influence of a superior rule of consumerism, but they are trapped as well into only moving and gesturing according to the "vast gorup of human automata", with no abililty to stretch outside of the furthest reach of one of their own (Wharton, 41). They are trapped in this dangerous self-indulging society and none seem to know how to remove themselves once they have been captured by the lotus flowers of Bellomont, even Lily Bart, who is seemingly the puppet master of their little show.
2. A Petty Act
The House of Mirth
Edith Wharton
I liked the idea of Lily being strong and charming in my last post, but it all seems a petty act now that I've started to understand Lily in terms of a little trapped bird in a steel cage. She's trapped by the cruel expectations of society for a twenty-nine year old woman to be married, by her family history and their emphasis on money and the luxury it provides, and by her uncontrollable desire to fit into the confines of upper class comfort. She seems to be driven crazy by her inability to quench the thirst of materialism, and I think her mother did a sure job of raising her daughter in this mindset, as Mrs. Bart lived "as though one were much richer than one's back-book denoted" (Wharton, 23). This craving for wealth is pushed into action when she continues the man hunt, and her new victim is Percy Gryce. Percy Gryce is far too boring for Lily and her- politely put, free spirit, but the simple fact that he has money is replacement enough for a real relationship based in love. There's been such a shift in my opinion, but her acquiescing to the cacophony of voices from her past suggest that she is of little character, and that is frustrating. I have changed from being fascinated, to frustrated.
Edith Wharton
I liked the idea of Lily being strong and charming in my last post, but it all seems a petty act now that I've started to understand Lily in terms of a little trapped bird in a steel cage. She's trapped by the cruel expectations of society for a twenty-nine year old woman to be married, by her family history and their emphasis on money and the luxury it provides, and by her uncontrollable desire to fit into the confines of upper class comfort. She seems to be driven crazy by her inability to quench the thirst of materialism, and I think her mother did a sure job of raising her daughter in this mindset, as Mrs. Bart lived "as though one were much richer than one's back-book denoted" (Wharton, 23). This craving for wealth is pushed into action when she continues the man hunt, and her new victim is Percy Gryce. Percy Gryce is far too boring for Lily and her- politely put, free spirit, but the simple fact that he has money is replacement enough for a real relationship based in love. There's been such a shift in my opinion, but her acquiescing to the cacophony of voices from her past suggest that she is of little character, and that is frustrating. I have changed from being fascinated, to frustrated.
1. First Impressions
The House of Mirth
Edith Wharton
I am charmed. Even reading the first few pages is enough to get ahold of a grasp of the seemingly beautiful, spontaneous, and witty Lily. The way Seldon describes her, with "her vivid head, relieved against the dull tints of the crowd", as "highly specialised" in regards to womanhood, and with the "desultory air" that surrounds her, are all fascinating characteristics that draw me in, and make me want to identify with Lily (Wharton, 1-3). I love the way she speaks, especially when she says, "Someone has had the humanity to plant a few trees over there (Wharton, 3)." She's a dangerous combination of beautiful, charismatic, and completely self-assured. I even like the bit about her that seems a bit feminist. It's obvious she's concerned about finding a husband, but for a moment she breaks away of her concern to be married, and wishes independence for herself, "How delicious to have a place like this all to one's self! What a miserable thing is is to be a woman (Wharton, 4)!" I just keep wanting to quote everything Lily says in this first chapter because I am infatuated with the way she is and the way she talks. Okay one more, I love when she is differentiating herself from Gertrude Farish and she says, "We're so different, you know: she likes being good, and I like being happy (Wharton, 5)." She talks about being happy as if behaving well cannot be a part of becoming happy. Lily Bart is a fascinating character, she is strong, and at this point, and in these ways, I want to be like her.
Edith Wharton
I am charmed. Even reading the first few pages is enough to get ahold of a grasp of the seemingly beautiful, spontaneous, and witty Lily. The way Seldon describes her, with "her vivid head, relieved against the dull tints of the crowd", as "highly specialised" in regards to womanhood, and with the "desultory air" that surrounds her, are all fascinating characteristics that draw me in, and make me want to identify with Lily (Wharton, 1-3). I love the way she speaks, especially when she says, "Someone has had the humanity to plant a few trees over there (Wharton, 3)." She's a dangerous combination of beautiful, charismatic, and completely self-assured. I even like the bit about her that seems a bit feminist. It's obvious she's concerned about finding a husband, but for a moment she breaks away of her concern to be married, and wishes independence for herself, "How delicious to have a place like this all to one's self! What a miserable thing is is to be a woman (Wharton, 4)!" I just keep wanting to quote everything Lily says in this first chapter because I am infatuated with the way she is and the way she talks. Okay one more, I love when she is differentiating herself from Gertrude Farish and she says, "We're so different, you know: she likes being good, and I like being happy (Wharton, 5)." She talks about being happy as if behaving well cannot be a part of becoming happy. Lily Bart is a fascinating character, she is strong, and at this point, and in these ways, I want to be like her.
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