The House of Mirth

These authors have amalgamated, in their fictional novels, both the reality and dream of American through their own autobiographical experiences. Wortin and Drizer, the author of The House of Mirth and Sister Carrie, both revealed that it was not simply a person’s own determination but more about their circumstances that creates their fortune. Later on in the 1920’s, when America just came out of World War I as the most powerful nation and…

being known as the “land of opportunity, many individuals eagerly set out for America as a path to wealth. Due to the great industrial expansion during this time, great cities such as New York became one of the ideal places to settle. In The House of Mirth, America holds a sense of hope and growth to those who set foot within it, but overtime this financial ambition holds no value. The true stability of Americas economic status is expressed when a rich socialite, Mrs. Peniston, states,…

Women are seen as the ones who are in charge of raising the family, while men are responsible for maintaining financial security. Though progress is being made in this area, there are still barriers holding equality back. In the book House of Mirth, the main character, Lily Bart, struggles with all of these areas. As a women of the early 1900s Lily is very dependent on the idea that she needs a man to help her not only achieve financial security, but to also secure a place at the top of…

Their purpose: entertain the men. The novel, The House of Mirth, by Edith Wharton, contains several characters which represent the women of this time period well; one being Miss Lily Bart. Lily clearly understands her role of a woman. “Who wants a dingy woman? We are expected to be pretty and well-dressed…

delve into the work of art known as The House of Mirth and examine the main character, Lily Bart. By explaining some of the literary allusions that are found in this book I hope to give others a deeper look into the story. The Gilded Age was known as a time of great breakthrough and discovery. However, despite its glorious appearance, the nation was struggling with corruption and greed. I believe this is the backbone of Edith Wharton's book, The House of Mirth. She created a unique story…

relationship or identity. The characters in the novels that were read in the course were also in search for something. What that the characters longed most for was their identity. The two novels that best exemplify the search for identity are The House of Mirth and Light in August. In these novels each of the leading characters were uncertain of who they were supposed to be. The people around them told them who to be to fit the societal mold. Although both stories are very distinct and were…

Throughout The House of Mirth, Edith Wharton leaves several parts open for reader’s imaginations to run wild with thought. In the end of her novel, there is no mistake on what caused Lily Bart’s death; an overdose of a sleeping drug. However, nearly 100 years after being published, readers who dip into the historical tragedy still find themselves debating if the overdose was intentional. An individual’s take on Wharton’s tragic ending is a product of their culture, upbringing, education,…

In the novel House of Mirth, written by Edith Wharton, one can argue many different perspectives about the character of Lily Barth. Many will argue that she was a beauty who only wanted to have a nice life, like those she surrounded herself with. Others will say that she was a girl who wanted to have it all but due to lack of a proper upbringing she was never guided the right way. However the novel is best described as a series of ups and downs, for the character of Lily Bart. She wanted to have…

and lower class were more prominent than other era in American history. While the lower class strives to attain the American Dream, the wealthy are immersed in luxurious amenities that blindside them to the societal issues around them. In The House of Mirth, by Edith Wharton, Lily Bart is depicted as a fledgling socialite seeking to enter the upper echelons of the Gilded Age. However, her moral standards unfortunately restrain her ability to secure a more prominent social standing. Initially…

In the early chapters of Edith Wharton’s House of Mirth, the author shows the role of money in defining the economic class of New Yorkers in the late Victorian Era. However, when I first started reading the middle Chapters 8-15, I particularly thought about how money in that environment also defined her characters’ social class, and the calculated risks some characters took to boost their social rank. In writing this period piece, Edith Wharton focuses on those who aspired to be at the top of…