How Does Edith Wharton Use Literary Allusions In The House Of Mirth

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Recommended: Important allusions in literature

One of the most common traits we see in many early American writers is the ability to utilize literary allusion in their writings; Edith Wharton is no exception to this. But what exactly is literary allusion? According to Dictionary.com a literary allusion is an expression designed to call something to mind without mentioning it explicitly; an indirect or passing reference. Throughout Wharton’s novel, The House of Mirth we see this ability coming to life in the Breed, Pg 2 character of Lily Bart, the main protagonist. Lily, a young and beautiful, yet confused girl doesn’t know how to handle the many peer pressures she experiences throughout the duration of this book. But how does Wharton use literary allusion on her character? This, along with the name of the book are the things which will be discussed in this essay. …show more content…

As was stated above, Lily was a beautiful girl in appearance. Every man loved her and every woman was intimidated by her. However, looks can be deceiving. Sadly Lily was quite obsessed with herself and with money. At least two times we see her almost marry solely for money and social standing. This is an amazing representation of the Gilded Age. Which was a time of economic thrive. Many people became extremely rich. But just like Lily, the age was corrupted with the love of money. One last comparison between Lily and the Gilded Age is a positive one. It is that Lily does show some true desire to marry someone not based on money when Simon Rosedale, an extremely rich bachelor asks her to marry him, but she turns him down because she didn’t love him. Similarly the Gilded Age did have some truly noble people. People such as John D. Rockefeller who gave away millions of dollars to

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