The character who was most affected by society was Lily Bart. Lily's entire life, and then even her death, revolved around social expectations. At the start of the book, Lily was constantly forced to act falsely to keep up the appearance of being high classed. She in fact came from a poor background and was now living with her Aunt Peniston. Facing tremendous gambling debts, she was always in financial upheaval. Yet she was required to act as though she belonged in the highest social class, because that is where she wished to be. Also, the fact that Lily

loved Lawrence Selden, and could not marry the man she loved, was due to the fact that it was not socially acceptable. Selden was not as wealthy as she wanted and so she could not marry him. To be accepted into the high social circle she wished to continue to be included in, she needed a husband who was rich and prestigious. As the book progressed, Lily spiraled farther and farther into social and financial depression. Rumors were spread about her, mostly set up by Bertha, who was influenced by her own greed and jealousy, and debts from Gus Trenor could not be repaid. Little support was offered to her, and so Lily was gradually pushed out of the high social circle that she once associated with. It was due to this exclusion that Lily became emotionally exhausted and utterly hopeless. She began to take sleeping pills, which were prescribed to her employer, Mrs. Hatch, not her, in order to escape from the reality of life. Finally, one day, due to the stresses of being socially unaccepted, financially devastated, and without any true ability to live on her own, Lily overdosed on the sleeping pills and died. Throughout the book, all of Lily's actions- begging for money, refusing to marry Selden, eventually giving in to the marriage proposal given by Rosedale, a man she did not truly love, or even like- were all revolved around the fact that she wished to maintain the social status she was accustomed to. Lily Bart provides insight towards the influence social class had on a woman's decisions and actions.

Overall, if the novel The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton was the only source of information on society at the turn of the century, it could be concluded that the pressures, standards, and expectations of society greatly shaped the personalities of the women of the time.

Though completely opposite from Bertha's character, Judy Trenor's personality was also formed by her social class. This woman, who had the same respectable position in society as Bertha, used her status for good instead of evil. She hosted many parties and by deciding who would be invited and who would not be in

Some topics in this essay:
Gus Trenor, Edith Wharton, Gerty Farish, Benedick Selden's, Lawrence Selden, Bertha Lily, Judy Trenor, Bertha Dorset's, Carry Fisher's, Carry Carry's, social circle, social class, shaped society, position society, social status, novel house mirth, source information, society century, lawrence selden, act falsely, standards expectations, mirth edith wharton, society century concluded, action shaped society, house mirth edith,