Summary
Chapter Fourteen
The House of Mirth
By Edith Wharton
Upon completion of The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton, I am left amazed and confused. I am amazed at everything Wharton has imagined and the beautiful way she presented it through metaphors, timeless diction, and picturesque imagery. I am amazed at how she connected the reader to the novel despite the nearly hundred years between the two. Yet, I am left with uncertainties and questions as to how the novel actually ended. Did Lily mean to die or was it simply accidental (I hope it was meant as a sign of society's constant power rather than Lily's own submission), what was the word both Lily (I hope it is "yes" or "love"), and how does Wharton ultimately propose to change the flaws of society presented. Perhaps it is these questions that make the novel valuable literature as it challenges the reader to find their own meaning, interpretation, and understanding. While I wish the ending would have been different as it seemed as though it could have been, I am sure that Wharton had her reasons. For, nearly everything in the story seemed to connect back to the beginning and thus Wharton shows the mastery of her plan. From avoiding dinginess to living in it, avoiding love to being overpowered by it, avoiding poverty to being a part of it, Wharton re-connects the major aspects and themes of the novel. Like a journey on a train, the track eventually ends and thus too does the story.
Upon completion of The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton, I am left amazed and confused. I am amazed at everything Wharton has imagined and the beautiful way she presented it through metaphors, timeless diction, and picturesque imagery. I am amazed at how she connected the reader to the novel despite the nearly hundred years between the two. Yet, I am left with uncertainties and questions as to how the novel actually ended. Did Lily mean to die or was it simply accidental (I hope it was meant as a sign of society's constant power rather than Lily's own submission), what was the word both Lily (I hope it is "yes" or "love"), and how does Wharton ultimately propose to change the flaws of society presented. Perhaps it is these questions that make the novel valuable literature as it challenges the reader to find their own meaning, interpretation, and understanding. While I wish the ending would have been different as it seemed as though it could have been, I am sure that Wharton had her reasons. For, nearly everything in the story seemed to connect back to the beginning and thus Wharton shows the mastery of her plan. From avoiding dinginess to living in it, avoiding love to being overpowered by it, avoiding poverty to being a part of it, Wharton re-connects the major aspects and themes of the novel. Like a journey on a train, the track eventually ends and thus too does the story. Chapter Fourteen
The House of Mirth
By Edith Wharton
From the rise and fall of every character and action, the plot of The House of Mirth takes on similarities to that of a Spanish telenovela. In telling a dramatic tail of love and society, Edith Wharton uses hooks, climaxes and structural patterns. Like the novelas, there are stories within each story which are effectively told through Wharton's plot.
"It was this moment of love, this fleeting victory over themselves, which had kept them from atrophy and extinction; which, in her had reached out to him in every struggle against ht influence of her surroundings, and in him, had kept alive the faith that now drew him penitent and reconciled to her side (Wharton, Page 268)." This summarizing sentence captures the entire story into one meaningful thought and reflects the ultimate themes of the novel. From the turning point when Lily's plan to marry Mr. Gryce fails to the climax when Lily finds herself threatened by Mr. Trenor, the novel takes unpredictable turns but flows together by Wharton's strategic narrative hooks like Lily's encounters with Mr. Selden. Lily, built up by rising action in her individual success and ability to live independently, is torn apart by the falling action of being rejected by society. This pattern of rise and fall creates structure within the novel until eventually Lily is no longer able to rise.
The techniques and writing style used by Wharton formulate the unique plot of the novel. Most importantly, it presents a resolution by which society can change by placing less emphasis on wealth and more focus on morals. It is the plot of Wharton's novel and the story it tells that distinguishes it from any other.
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