The House of Mirth Essay Example for Free

The House of Mirth EssayLily Bart is simultaneously a product and a victim of the society she was born into. She cannot choose between two possible ways of living to hunt for wealth or long for love and understanding. She was taught that her design of life was to find a wealthy man and become his wife. She can choose only among those who either apply no social status (Rosedale), be married (Trenor), ar boring and not interesting for her (Gryce), or have no money (Selden). 2. As the story progresses we understand that money is not everything in this upper class of society the main character belongs to.One must behave a certain way, be friends with certain people and have a spare admission to certain houses. Everybody watches each other and then discusses the details with the rest of elite. This is the society where everybody will struggle to death, step over others, use and step others but to get what one wants. We see how Lilys friends treat her and this is not the way how friends treat each other. It is not allowed to meet with a man unless you have a chaperone. If a women is married, she has to be discreet, besides women must be more precise in their appearance than men.3. One social group I issue (my parents belong to it) has ist unwritten rules, too. Among these are not to stare people and not to point to people not to ask for favor to drive an expensive railcar not to be late. There are also rules about dressing up like not to wear jeans if its not casual day to contribute and not to ask womans age. 4. While reading the book I felt really sorry for people who lived at that time when they could not be free but had to live the way the society has determined for them.I felt quite happy for the present and for myself that modern rules are not that terrible, although some of them are worse that in the past. I also felt sorry for the girl herself being all alone among people who just use and abuse you, knowledgeable that your only fate is to try t o please a wealthy man whom you do not necessarily like but whom you need in nightclub to live a normal life.Bibliography1. Wharton, Edith. The House of Mirth. New American Library Reprint edition (February 1, 2000).