The House of Mirth by
Edith Wharton
“Was it possible she belonged to
the same race?” (Wharton, 2). This statement characterizes the protagonist Lily
Bart as self-absorbed and selfish. Her only concerns are her wealth and her
placement in upper class society. The narrator describes her as beautiful and
stunning. She seems to have the power to capture the heart of any man she
desires. Her main problem, though, seems to be that she has not married yet,
and every time she comes close to marriage, she seems to think she can do
better and finds someone else to flirt with. She happens to meet Peter Gryce,
an extremely wealthy man who is near the upper echelon of high-class society.
As usual, Lily takes an interest in him and as soon as she has him in a trance,
Lily abandons him and talks with her old friend, Lawrence Selden. When she is
with Selden, Lily becomes a different person and seems to be nicer, friendlier,
and more concerned with Selden than she is which proves her character round.
This also reveals her internal conflict. She wants to be with Selden, yet she
wants to live a luxurious life to satisfy her insatiable desire for wealth. She
also appears to be a static character; however, if she wishes to become
wealthy, she must shift to a dynamic character and change her personality to
capture a husband. Her external conflict seems to be with another wealthy
woman: Bertha Dorset. The last sentence of section II suggests a sort of
resentment from Lily toward Bertha and I believe that it will be a major part
of the plot.
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