The House of Mirth | Characters
Lily Bart is one of Edith Wharton's finest achievements. At the very center of Lily's character is a conflict between the desire to be free and the need to submit to the dictates of society — in this case of a society controlled by careless, manipulative people like the Trenors and the Dorsets. Lily never conceives of this conflict in terms of freedom and submission. Rather she applies the Victorian standard of the "nice girl" and the "bad girl" to her behavior. Raised to be a "nice girl," she repeatedly accuses herself of being bad: "a bad girl — all my thoughts are bad." This badness...
[The entire page is 368 words long]
Navigate
See Also:
- - The House of Mirth summary and study guide in the eNotes.
Tell a friend about The House of Mirth at eNotes.
- Add The House of Mirth to your favorites