So, as the Real Housewives of the 1890's draws to a close (oh, sorry I mean The House of Mirth), Lily Bart is falling apart all the while maintaining her composure until her visit with Selden. Rosedale is appalled to see Lily live like she is in his saying, "'The idea of your having to work - it's preposterous (242).'" For a girl who always had a plan, Lily seems like she has no idea what she is going to do. Lily's life is the exact opposite of what she planned it to be. However, it appears that her character and morals have changed. As opposed to the beginning of the novel when Lily wrecklessly played bridge and borrowed money, she now denies a loan from Rosedale because she has learned she is incapable of managing her debts. Also, her priority has become repaying her debt to Trenor.
I still hold to my theory that the story will end with Lily's death, especially now after her visit with Selden. Lily has essentially settled her situation with Selden. By burning the letters, Lily let go of everything she held against Selden. This supports my thinking that she will die because now she can die at the end of the novel and the readers will not feel completely terrible because she never apologized to Selden. I find it interesting that the first book was about Lily's rise to popularity; now, the second book is about her fall from popularity and to what I believe will ultimately be her death.
time zone check
ReplyDelete