Fate, Society & Determinism

Paper Summary:

This paper compares and discusses the similarities and differences between the characters in the novels, 'The House of Mirth' by Edith Wharton and 'Madame Bovary' by Gustave Flaubert. According to the paper, the background of their stories is certainly not the same, their drives and inner most desires are fired by divergent impulses, their struggles take on different shapes and their deaths have contrasting meanings.

From the Paper:

"Nor is her aunt, Mrs. Peniston, very sympathetic with Lily and her way of life, either. Though, everyone expects Lily to inherit Mrs. Peniston's fotune, when the old lady dies, she leaves her niece a mere ten thousand dollars, barely enough for Lily to cover her debt to Gus Trenor, who tricks her into making her believe he makes investments in the stock market for her, which hopelessly compromises Lily into accepting great sums of money from him. Mrs. Peniston's will is a clear expression of her disapproval of both Lily's social habits--the endless parties she takes part into, her gambling at bridge--and Lily's breaking the social code of conduct for unmarried women--the seemingly appearance of her being involved with a married man, again, Gus Trenor, of whose unwanted amorous advances she is exposed to. "

Sample of Sources Used:

• The American Experience: Andrew Carnegie- The Gilded Age. PBS Online. 1999. 1 Oct. 2006 < http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/carnegie/gildedage.html>.
• Byatt, A. S. Scenes from Provincial Life. The Guardian. July, 27, 2002. Oct.2006 http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2342/is_n1_v30/ai_18631915>.
• Cahir, Linda Costanzo Solitude and Society in the Works of Herman Melville and Edith Wharton. New York: Greenwood Press, 1999
• Deppman, Jed. "History with style: the impassible writing of Flaubert - Gustave Flaubert." Style. 1996. Oct 2006< http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2342/is_n1_v30/ai_18631915>.
• Flaubert, Gustave. Madame Bovary. New York: Penguin Classics, 1983

More papers on Fate, Society & Determinism:

• Analytical Essay # 20403 : "The House Of Mirth" by Edith Wharton"
• Analytical Essay # 29689 : "Maggie: A Girl of the Streets"
• Comparison Essay # 120364 : "In Defense of Free Will"

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