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.
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