Past events could potentially affect the actions, attitudes and values of a character, positively or negatively. This is true because as seen in many novels the background stories of the characters often shape the character's future and their present actions and values. If, for example, a character grows up poor their values would differ from those of a character that grew up wealthy. The theme of respect and reputation is exemplified by Edith Wharton in her novel "The House of Mirth" by discussing Lily Bart's actions, attitudes and values. Economic situations can influence a character's actions, attitudes and values. In Lily Bart's case her economic situation led her to her downfall. "That walk she did not mean to miss; one glance at …show more content…
the bills on her writing-table was enough to recall its necessity."(1.5.23) At this time Lily realizes that marrying wealthy is a lot more important than marrying for love. Lily is more concerned with her wealth than her happiness. This influenced her actions and values because she focused her time primarily on finding a wealthy husband and only a wealthy husband. "But it is one thing to live comfortably with the abstract conception of poverty, another to be brought in contact with its human embodiments." (1.14.50) Lily is now faced with poverty when before it had only been a distant thought in her mind. Her poverty eventually led to her downfall because she began to start working to gain money. Lily was is in a lot of debt with Gus Trenor so she was desperately awaiting for her inheritance check, after giving Gus what he was due she would only have about a thousand dollars left. We are left to assume that Lily commited suicide by overdose of her sleeping medication. The choices Lily made ultimately led to her sudden death. "But we're so different, you know: she likes being good, and I like being happy."(1.1.48) Lily's choices make her have the ultimatum of what's good for her and what will make her happy. Lily is truly enamored of Selden and she chooses not to be with him, despite how happy she knows it'll make her, because she knows that marrying wealthy will be more beneficial to her. "And for always getting what she wants in the long run, commend me to a nasty woman."(1.4.40) At this time Lily refuses to be nasty to retaliate against Bertha Dorset's lies and rumors. Lily choosing not to stoop to Bertha's level led to her demise because when the rumors began to spread about Lily's supposed infidelity her aunt signed her out of the will and only gave her a fraction of the money she was entitiled to. Thus, pushing Lily farther into debt and causing her suicide. "Keeping up with the Jones'" is a term that means to use your "neighbor" as a benchmark for social class and the amount of materialistic objects you have.
This is still prevalent today, all around the world people are constantly trying to "one-up" anyone they can by getting the newest and most expensive things. We strive to live beyond our means because we as humans constantly want to improve ourselves. Appearance and reputation are very prevalent ideas today, we are constantly concerned with the latest trends and how we are percieved from another's point of view. "No; but your taking a walk with me is only another way of making use of your material. You are an artist and I happen to be the bit of colour you are using today. It's a part of your cleverness to be able to produce premeditated effects extemporaneously." (1.6.18) Lawerence Selden informs Lily of her materialistic views. He considered himself just an accessory to Lily's plan. "The fact that the money freed her temporarily from all minor obligations obscured her sense of the greater one it represented, and having never before known what it was to command so large a sum, she lingered delectably over the amusement of spending it." (1.10.2) Lily views money as something that could help free her from all things that are stressing her, ironically wealth is just what leads to her demise. This is Lily's fatal flaw. She is very materialistic and high
maintenence. From analyzing the text, it is apparent that what caused her downfall was her obsessive need to be wealthy. This obsession influenced her choices, values and attitudes towards certain obstacles such as her debt to George Trenor, her love for Seldon and her refusal to retalitate against Bertha's accusations. We are left only to think what might've happened if Lily's father never lost his money and if Lily would've just chosen happiness over the materialistic things in life. Lily might be married to Seldon, happier than she would've ever been with a wealthy man that bored her to death.
Edith Wharton’s novel, The House of Mirth, is the story of a girl named Lily Bart trying to find a place for herself in society. Wharton used allusion throughout the book to aid the reader in understanding the events of the narrative. The following essay will highlight three allusions Wharton used, and explain how they helped the reader to understand the corresponding events from the book.
Wealth also influences the way the characters’ peers view them. Wealth plays a main role in the lives of the characters despite the differences that exist. Even though the novels take place in very opposite places, the superficial longing for wealth and the existence of wealth impacts the characters in similar ways.
Money can cause people to act selfish and arrogant, especially when they have so much money they do noteven know what to spend it on. In the novel,
Edith Wharton’s brief, yet tragic novella, Ethan Frome, presents a crippled and lonely man – Ethan Frome – who is trapped in a loveless marriage with a hypochondriacal wife, Zenobia “Zeena” Frome. Set during a harsh, “sluggish” winter in Starkfield, Massachusetts, Ethan and his sickly wife live in a dilapidated and “unusually forlorn and stunted” New-England farmhouse (Wharton 18). Due to Zeena’s numerous complications, they employ her cousin to help around the house, a vivacious young girl – Mattie Silver. With Mattie’s presence, Starkfield seems to emerge from its desolateness, and Ethan’s vacant world seems to be awoken from his discontented life and empty marriage. And so begins Ethan’s love adventure – a desperate desire to have Mattie as his own; however, his morals along with his duty to Zeena and his natural streak of honesty hinder him in his ability to realize his own dreams. Throughout this suspenseful and disastrous novella, Ethan Frome, Edith Wharton effectively employs situational irony enabling readers to experience a sudden shock and an unexpected twist of events that ultimately lead to a final tragedy in a living nightmare.
“For the first time in his life he sees her in a new light: he sees her as no longer the listless creature who had lived at his side in a state of self-absorption, but a mysterious alien presence an evil energy secreted from the long years of silent brooding…” (Wharton 117) Edith Wharton is best known for her books Ethan Frome and The House of Mirth. Wharton was often compared to another writer in her time, Henry James. Even though this occurred, she considered her books one of a kind. She was pleased with her work, but the critics were not. Often, she received poor reviews, but this did not stop her; in fact, she then went on to be the first woman to win The Legion of Honor Medal. Wharton also won the Pulitzer Prize and a gold
Edith Wharton, originally named “Edith Newbold Jones”(Cliff Notes), was born on “January 24, 1862 in New York City to George Frederic Jones and Lucretia Stevens Rhinelander Jones and died on August 11, 1937”(Cliff Notes). She was born into a wealthy family and was a “designer, short story writer and American novelist”(Cliff Notes). Wharton descended from the English and Dutch cultures. She had two siblings, one known as “Frederic Rhinelander Jones” (Cliff Notes) who was sixteen years older than her, and “Henry Edward Jones eleven years older”(Cliff Notes). While her brothers attended boarding school, Wharton became “raised as an only child in a brownstone mansion on West Twenty-third Street in New York City”(Cliff
In Edith Wharton’s Ethan Frome, there is a prevalent conflict of class struggles. Ethan Frome, his wife Zeena, and their maid Mattie all live in extreme poverty. Wharton portrays them as miserable beings, seemingly always encompassed in misfortune. Wharton herself, however, lived a near opposite life compared to that of her characters. She was born into fortune; money was rarely a concern for her (Lee). Through a Marxist lens, one could argue that Edith Wharton, a woman of extreme wealth and privilege, would characterize lower, working class people such as the ones in Ethan Frome in an inaccurately dismal light. The consistent image of winter and coldness, typically associated with misery, in Ethan Frome foreshadows an unhappy ending for the
As humans we are affected by our environment, either the social aspects, or the location of residence, or interior of the world we live in. These effects can either be positive to one’s nature or deteriorating to one’s morals. When we look at the substantial impacts of a positive culture, such as the enlightenment that boosted the intelligence and desire to learn of expanding countries all around, we see that it can truly make a difference. On the other hand, if a child is raised in a cruel environment or drug ridden neighborhood, they to will most likely follow in the path. So our society and environment greatly impacts our human behavior and thoughts, this is especially shown in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s, The Scarlet Letter throughout the moral and physical changes in Hester, Dimmesdale, and Pearl.
In the novel Ethan Frome, Edith Wharton creates an interesting plot revolving around two star-crossed lovers. Unfortunately, there is only one important thing that gets in the way of these lovers, a wife who’s a hypochondriac. Zeena, the wife, finds herself in a particular situation, a situation where she needs to figure out how to get rid of Mattie. She tries everything to get rid of her, especially her illness, using it as an excuse to get what she wants, oppressing Ethan’s desires and needs. Despite her malicious actions, she creates a justifiable reasoning of her intent. In Ethan Frome, Edith Wharton creates a psychological response in regards to Zeena. Rather than being depicted as the villain of the novel, Zeena is merely the victim of
vanity, pride, and self - knowledge intervenes in the development of the virtue of the characters,
Edith Wharton, was the first woman to win a Pulitzer Prize in literature, she wrote a lot of stories that focused on marriage. Many of her stories are set in the high society world of America in the 1900’s. An example of this, is the short story she wrote called “The Other Two” which takes place in 1904 in New York. “The Other Two” discuss the concepts divorce in the early 1900’s and adaptive behavior which is based on Darwin’s theory of “Survival of the fittest”.
“Money is the root of all evil”(Levit). Man and his love of money has destroyed lives since the beginning of time. Men have fought in wars over money, given up family relationships for money and done things they would have never thought that they would be capable of doing because of money. In the movie, based on F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby, the author demonstrates how the love and worship of money and all of the trappings that come with it can destroy lives. In the novel Jay Gatsby has lavish parties, wears expensive gaudy clothes, drives fancy cars and tries to show his former love how important and wealthy he has become. He believes a lie, that by achieving the status that most Americans, in th...
...lue and having artificial value really changed the amount of power they felt. Research from Stanford shows that the more money people have, the more addictive it is. This causes a problem when people try to obtain items with emotional value, but end up getting caught up in money.
While at Lowood, a state - run orphanage and educational facility, Jane’s first friend, Helen Burns, teaches her the importance of friendship along with other skills that will help Jane grow and emotionally mature in the future. She serves as a role model for Jane. Helen’s intelligence, commitment to her studies, and social graces all lead Jane to discover desirable attributes in Helen. Helen is treated quite poorly, however, “her ability to remain graceful and calm even in the face of (what Jane believes to be) unwarranted punishment makes the greatest impression on the younger girl” (Dunnington). Brontë uses this character as a way to exemplify the type of love that Jane deserves. This relationship allows Jane to understand the importance of having a true friend. Given Jane’s history at Gateshead, finding someone like Helen is monumental in her development as a person. Helen gives through honest friendship, a love that is
The author shows that money can change a characters behavior. You see this behavioral change in Claire by the way she dresses and acts as she is above everyone. In the beginning