Lily's Conflict

Paper Summary:

This paper is analysis of Lily in Edith Wharton's "House of Mirth" about a woman's personal struggle to find her place in society. It discusses the portrayal of the main character, Lily Bart, an extremely conflicted individual who fluctuates between a deeply ingrained desire for material wealth (necessary to live a life of luxury in the upper class New York society) and a desire to transcend such superficiality and pursue a deeper, more meaningful existence. It examines how through most of the novel, Lily never seems to overcome her materialistic desire until the lowest point of her life. However, Lily's conflict resolves only to find the realization of loneliness and missed opportunities and all of these new fears lead her to seek death as the ultimate solution.

From the Paper:

"Despite the wish for material wealth, Lily also yearns for a deeper meaning of life, something greater than money. This other feeling first discloses itself in a conversation with Selden. Lily questions Selden for his idea of success, and he answers, "My idea of success is personal freedom freedom from everything from money, from poverty, from ease and anxiety, from all the material accidents." Selden calls his notion of success a "republic of the spirit" (70). In defining his ideals, Selden points out to Lily what she needed is happiness. She has been searching for freedom from material wealth and personal satisfaction. Lily has passed up numerous chances to marry rich men, such as Percy Gryce and Simon Rosedale, because she not only wants financial security but also love and happiness to add value to her life."

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