Lily Bart is a very developed character who is caught between her desire for luxury and reality. Following the loss of the family fortune, both of Lily’s parents died, leaving her to live with her aunt, Mrs. Peni

Although several lessons can be drawn from this story, one of the most evident, especially at the end of the book, is that one must never take someone else for granted. Also, The House of Mirth is clearly focused on the aspect of the influence of society on one’s life. The expectations of her society were what prompted Lily to live a life of tedious searching for a suitable husband by being seemingly entertaining and being attractive and good-looking. One can see how society shaped Lily’s life, against her will. Had it not been for rumors and their triumph over her, she may not have died the way she did. Yet, on a more positive note, Lily’s strength amidst the hindering expectations of her society is also an obvious point in the story. It shows her capability to master the circumstances that arise in her life. That aspect of the story really gives hope to those who, like Lily, feel controlled by society.

The House of Mirth was a captivating story. The plot held my attention, and throughout the story I was fascinated by the complexity of Lily’s life. Lily as a character was very appealing. I often found myself questioning what I would do if I found myself in her position. She made realistic decisions when she was in a position where she had to make decisions. The outcomes to those decisions were not too predictable, yet the made sense. An example of this is the ending of the story. It was unanticipated that she would die at the end of the story, yet it is a plausible outcome of her failure to surmount the tribulations in her life. Although the story line alone was interesting, so was the information provided about her life at that time in history. The culture was quite a bit different, and it was imperative that the reader be able to understand it. I found it easy to comprehend the culture of the early turn-of-the-century through the author’s illustrative and descriptive word choice. It would be interesting to read the book again one day to see if some of the concepts have a different impact on me or just to refresh my mind of an example of an exceptionally well-written piece of literature. This book is one that I would definitely recommend to a friend.

ston. Although her remaining family is prosperous and rich, she has no income of her own. This forces her to accept the reali

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