Chapters XIII & XIV
So much has happened in these two chapters of Edith Wharton's The House of Mirth! Trenor finally confessed his feelings for Miss Bart, though heavily clouded by anger resentment. Additionally, the reader learns of Gerty Farish's love for her cousin Selden (What?! Incest?! EW.) which in turn, stimulated her hate for Lily. Oh, the humanity!
So, referring back to the encounter between Trenor and Miss Bart. How the emotions were running wild! Lily tried desperately to compose herself, but in truth, Trenor's words were difficult for her to bear. Miss Bart, a woman who had always prided herself on her ability to play on the emotions of others, now felt her own emotions beyond her control.
I believe this was a turning point for Miss Bart. Her manipulative manner, discussed in my first blog, had, in my opinion backfired, as I predicted. She pushed many people away and is still without a husband who will care for her financially. Thus, as I guessed, Lily was overcome with loneliness. Trenor's condemnation of Lily's debt to him seemed to be her breaking point. "Over and over her the sea of humiliation broke-wave crashing on wave so close that the moral shame was one with the physical dread. It seemed to her that self-esteem would have made her invulnderable-that it was her own dishonour which put a fearful solitude about her" (Wharton, 119). Her controlling abilities that normally brought her pleasure and comfort now brought misery. This emotional breakdown of hers was the unfortunate culmination of all of her manipulation. I saw this as a very humbling experience for Miss Bart. Thus far, Lily had wanted companionship that would provide for all her needs; however, even just for a moment, she put aside her expectations and simply longed for the love of a friend. "Lily had no heart to lean on....What Lily craved was the darkness made by enfolding arms, the silence which is not solitude, but compassion holding its breath" (Wharton, 121). At this point, I immediately thought of how Selden was the answer to her longing.
When reading this chapter, I was (as embarassed as I am to admit it) reminded of Avril Lavigne's SK8R Boi, a song I loved when I was about thirteen years old.
The chorus of the song reads:
He was a skater boy; she said see ya later boy.
He wasn't good enough for her.
She had a pretty face, but her head was up in space.
She needed to come back down to earth.
As the song continues...
Five years from now, she sits at home feeding the baby, she's all alone.
She turns on TV and guess who she sees?
Skater boy rockin' up MTV.
She calls up her friends.
They already know,
and they've all got tickets to see his show.
She tags along, stands in the crowd.
Looks up at the man that she turned down.
I feel as if this is actually a great representation of Miss Bart's situation. I confess that I have read on to the next chapter and see that the second set of lyrics is also fitting of her current situation with Selden. Miss Bart better be careful, or she will lose her true love for good.
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