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.
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