Reading American Literature : The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton

I've read another book related to my exploration of American culture through literature and this time, the book was The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton.  The House of Mirth covers another era of American history - between 1876 - 1905 - and deals with the elitist, upper crust sector of society in New York.

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Our protagonist is Lily Bart, a beautiful, young, single twenty something who is on the hunt for a rich husband, so she can stay living amongst the high fliers of society.  It sounds quite Gossip Girl-esque and at times, it does feel like that only with more serious undertones.  Lily may be schmoozing with the people-to-know but she's more than aware that they will drop her at any given moment.

It's often hard to know whether to feel sorry for Lily or be angry at her; she desperately wants to stay a part of this society and we watch her struggles and demise, however, she is more than aware of how the cruel machine works.

Life among the wealthy is as opulent and luxurious as it is moral-less and unethical.  People lie, cheat, gamble, gossip and backstab.  Lily tries to navigate all of this to keep in with the rich and powerless and unfortunately crosses of one the main players which leads to her downfall.  It's almost painful to watch her fall from wealth and decadent parties to her impoverished life as a failed hat maker.

The House of Mirth offers an interesting look into the American class system:   it's purely dictated by wealth.  If you have money, you have power.  If you lose your money, or cannot marry into money (as Lily wishes), you have nothing.  It contrasts so much to our own class system; money is a part of it but here, it's more to do with nobility and 'breeding'.  It seem to be a common notion in this time that the rich get richer while the poor get poorer and once you've lost your footing in the wealthy world, you're out.

It also makes you think about the role of women within society.  Lily is beautiful, intelligent and adept yet she is still judged on her lack of husband.  She reasons that no one will take her seriously or that she will not have a fulfilling life if she doesn't marry a wealthy husband.  She forgoes true love in search of a husband that can offer her more materialistically.  Her reputation is ruined because of gossip yet the men in the novel can act how they please without repercussions.  Is this something that still occurs today?  I think, to a certain degree, it is.

I can imagine that Lily is one of those love-hate characters.  I personally liked her a lot, she's bright, funny and interesting.  She gets lost in a society that she cannot control or manage, and that in turn, destroys her.  The House of Mirth is a tragic, period story that still resonates today.

Next up: Ernest Hemingway!