Chapters I & II
In the first two chapters of Edith Wharton's The House of Mirth, the reader is introduced to seemingly integral characters. Lily Bart is the apparent protagonist of the story. To me, she seems to be extremely manipulative, her befriendment of others driven carefully and solely by her selfish motives-predominantly her desire to marry rich.
Though the story is told from by an omniscient narrator, Wharton clearly focuses on Miss Bart and her encounters with others. I personally found her manipulative nature irritating yet awesome. Bart is driven so much by her hatred for a destitue lifestyle that she sees interacting with others as a game eventually leading to a prize of wealth. For example, Wharton says of Bart, "Training and experience had taught her to be hospitable to newcomers, since the most unpromising might be useful later on...." (Wharton, 12). With the use of diction such as "training", "experience", and "useful", Wharton paints for the reader a picture of the mindset of Lily Bart. She sees others as tools, or puppets even, used to get what she wants. Consequently, always manipulated, I feel as if none of her friends know the true Lily Bart. Moreover, I feel as if Lily realizes this as well, and may develop a sense of loneliness throughout the novel.
At this point, I would say I am on Team Gryce. He seems like a very nice man with whom Lily could achieve all she desired out of life. I do feel bad for the man, however, because he is oblivious of the manipulation to which he is subjected. Nonetheless, knowing that Miss Bart would not even let the slightlest slip up reveal this knowledge to him, I believe they would make a very happy couple. GO PERCY!
No comments:
Post a Comment