The House of Mirth
In The House of Mirth, Edith Wharton presents the New York society atthe dawn of the 20th century. It is a New York that is divided into strictsocial classes, where old wealth is being overshadowed by new wealth. Theones below aspire to move higher while those do everything in their powerto stay where they are. For women like Lily Bart, however, being rich andbeautiful is a tenuous prospect. As they grow older, many find that the Though she is still wealthy at the beginning of the novel, Lily is ina difficult position, one foreshadowed by her meeting with the destitutewoman in the streets. Through this juxtaposition, Wharton shows the readerthat in many ways, Lily Bart is as constrained as her street womancounterpart. For example, because she is comes from old wealth, Lily couldnot work without losing social status. When Lily is further estranged
The House of Mirth is often characterized as a novel about a womandefining herself through marriage. From a young age, many women are taught not only to aspire to marriage butalso to desire becoming a wife and by extension, a mother. Unlike men, whocan marry if they desire, Lily states that "a girl must" get married inorder to remain accepted in New York society. nt, her position becomes more difficult. Wharton articulates this position clearly, when Lilystates that only governesses or widows can be free enough to live bythemselves in an apartment. Even for women today, getting married is considered an important goal. Thus, the only option for a woman of Lily's status and circumstancesis a good marriage. When she fails to securemarriage and is banished from her social circle, the only alternative forLily is a social and a physical death. While womenin the late 19th and early 20th century were constrained from working, mostof society today expects women to work. After all, the strict social ladder no longer exists. This does not mean, however, that women are not expected to marry. Lily Bart, however, also resistsmarriage several times - an act that could be interpreted as a form ofresistance against the conventions of her day. She was in debt to theunscrupulous Mr. Women are now regularly pursuinghigher education, and a growing number of them are entering manytraditionally-male fields.
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