... stepped, not out of, but into, Reynolds's canvas, banishing the phantom of his dead beauty by the beams of her living grace" (106) Though Lily is a beautiful woman and many admire that, these women talk about her behind her back and she is becoming frantic trying to rebuild her reputation. But this ... is difficult for her since she has very few friends and no money to help her. Therefore, she can only climb down on the social ladder. Lily is extremely lonely after Judy Trenor and her other friends betray her. Her increasing poverty is also adding to her depression. She owes Gus Trenor a...

• Word Count: 836
• Approx Pages: 3
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... never learned to value of a dollar. Instead, she was taught by her mother the usefulness of being wealthy, or at least appearing to be wealthy. Lily learned that no matter how much it cost, being well dressed and having servants was the key to appearing rich and thus belonging to high society (30). ... can be a member of New York's high society is to be prosperous, and the only way to become prosperous is to marry a rich man. Therefore, Lily's life begins with an inescapable struggle between love and money. Had her mother taught her the importance of loving the one you are married to ins...

• Word Count: 622
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

... her beauty and charm only hurt her. All of her friends wanted nothing to do with her because they thought that she was having affairs with their husbands. Lily thought that by having rich and important men on her side, she would be better off, but the opposite happened. Her friends and family came to despise ... her, and she was soon left with no one and nothing. From the beginning of the book to the end, Lily's character changed socially from being at the top of the ladder and having all that she needed, to realizing that she was no more important than the person ... debts for the rest...

• Word Count: 1119
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

... for money, and he agrees to "invest" on her behalf. She soon receives a check for one thousand. Mr. Trenor is a wealthy family man who loans Lily money but expects sexual favors in return. She rejects his advances and makes Mr. Trenor mad; but he never harms her. The material wealth in The House of ... Mirth is shown through this main storyline. Mr. Trenor uses his money to try to have sexual relations with Lily. Lily's actions after being rejected from both men, Mr. Trenor and Selan, are devastating. She is no longer seen as a "young woman in the upper-class New ... check with her inh...

• Word Count: 471
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

... our society's perception of strength that needs to be changed. In The House of Mirth, we are introduced to Lily Bart who is considered the "heroine" of this particular tale. Lily is thought to be an example of the strong, independent woman that feminism is looking to promote, because in ... against the male dominated, but female enforced, rules of their time. In describing her, Lawrence Seldon sees Lily as "at once vigorous and exquisite, at once strong and fine" (Mirth 7). Lily has all of the markings of what we would now see as a successful woman because she not only ... Choosing to...

• Word Count: 1146
• Approx Pages: 5
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... were chiefly external, as though a fine glaze of beauty and fastidiousness had been applied to vulgar clay." -(p 3.) Readers are offered these early impressions of Lily Bart from the mind of Lawrence Selden as they walk toward his flat on Madison Avenue. I think that this quote is interesting for a few reasons: ... by saying "she must have cost a great deal to make," Lily is immediately seen as a commodity: if workers were "sacrificed" to make this "produce," her person is not only objectified, but quantified as a value in a ... from the rest of the cattle-like women. I think it is inte...

• Word Count: 315
• Approx Pages: 1
• Grade Level: Undergraduate