The House of Mirth Chapters I and II

Although I initially began reading Edith Wharton’s The House of Mirth with some confusion and lack of clarity regarding some topics, I quickly discovered as I continued to read that the themes and characters gradually being unveiled in this novel are incredibly interesting and will certainly require a great deal of analysis. I was relatively surprised that, even within the first few pages of the novel, Wharton had already presented some of the exceedingly complex themes of the book concerning the pitfalls of wealth and social status. Initially, Lily appears to be a wealthy young woman who, while most likely good at heart, is rather selfish and spoiled due to the fact that she clearly has never lacked any luxury in her life. Nevertheless, as Lily chats with Selden at the Benedick, the fact that her life is seemingly more complicated and troubled than the reader would first imagine becomes clear. Lily woefully explains to Selden how miserable life is for a woman, for while the single amenity that she seems to desire above all else is freedom, she has become burdened with the immense pressure of having to marry. She proceeds to lament about a multitude of troubles which have befallen her, such as the fact that, despite her efforts to always be prudent, she is constantly judged and “used and abused” by her friends and acquaintances. As Selden listens attentively to her remarks about high society, he observes that, “She was so evidently the victim of the civilization which had produced her, that the links of her bracelet seemed like manacles chaining her to her fate” (Wharton, 5). I am already beginning to wonder if, despite the fact that Lily has always lived comfortably, she would rather abandon her life of high society in order to pursue true freedom and true love. Since Lily’s life is apparently not nearly as glamorous as one may assume, and she even implies on page 9 that high society like more like a business than a lifestyle, I feel that she may be happier escaping such a fate. Though this remark by Selden concerning Lily’s victimization is only found on the fifth page of the book, I believe that this passage embodies one of the central themes of the entire novel and indicates what a burden high society will continue to be to Lily as the story progresses.

Many characters are also developing as rapidly as the theme and central conflict are beginning to unravel in The House of Mirth. The novel’s point of view is the third person omniscient point of view, and this choice of technique by Wharton greatly contributes to the reader’s ability to understand and sympathize with the characters as the story begins. Because the third person omniscient point of view consists of a narrator who knows everything about many of the characters, the story is presented from many perspectives within the first two chapters. For example, the first chapter is focused on the thoughts and feelings of Lawrence Selden, while the second chapter is presented from the perspectives of Lily Bart and Percy Gryce. Because Wharton has chosen the omniscient point of view, she allows the reader to become acquainted with a number of the central characters more quickly, which I personally found to be greatly helpful in beginning to understand the story. For example, because Wharton tells of the encounter between Miss Bart and Mr. Rosedale from Lily’s perspective, I was easily able to establish that Mr. Rosedale is an untrustworthy figure who I have a strong feeling might cause Lily a great deal of trouble in the future. Likewise, I found it very interesting that Wharton revealed the thoughts of Mr. Selden during the conversation between Lily and Mr. Selden. Because he made such frequent observations of her beauty and the narrator mentions that, “In truth, he had never like her as well as that moment” (Wharton, 4), I suspect that Selden might have feelings for Lily that run deeper than friendship. Even a character as timid as Percy Gryce becomes easier to understand when his thoughts are revealed during his conversation with Lily concerning his Americana collection. This use of third person omniscient point of view in The House of Mirth reminds me very much of how Jodi Picoult employed such a technique in her novel My Sister’s Keeper; in both cases, the use of this technique greatly helped me in understanding the motives of all characters, and I believe that this tool will be of great help as the rest of The House of Mirth unwinds.