The House Of Mirth: Character Analysis

“When someone has been given much, much will be required in return; and when someone has been entrusted with much, even more will be required” (New Living Translation, Luke 12:48). In The House of Mirth, Lily Bart, a 29-year-old member of society, was not given much money after the death of her parents. However, she was entrusted with “inherited obligations” (Wharton 32), an awareness of the expected societal role she must fulfill, and an expectation to utilize her beauty to assure a secure future. Lily’s divergence from the unspoken rules of the social elite ultimately brought her downfall.
Upon the death of her parents, Lily’s wealthy, widowed Aunt, Mrs. Peniston, agreed to take Lily into her home, giving her security until she married. This act of familial obligation came with an unspoken agreement that Lily would conduct herself in a proper manner, according to Mrs. Peniston’s standards. Mrs. Peniston was to leave her full inheritance to Lily when the time came, but she discovered her requirements had not been met. She learned of talk about Lily among society members and thought, “It was horrible of a young girl to let herself be talked about; however unfounded the

charges against her, she must be to blame for their having been made” (Wharton 100). Ultimately, Mrs. Peniston could not forgive Lily for the slander brought to her name and left her with only a $10,000 legacy upon her death. The amount left to Lily represented less than she owed to others for debts, leading to her financial ruin.
Also, Gus Trenor made an arrangement with Lily to assist her by investing some of her finances. This is yet another example of an unspoken agreement that Lily failed to meet. Trenor’s expectation was that Lily would provide companionship to him, which she refused. Lily seemed to understand that things would “go from bad to worse” after she would not meet Trenor’s requirement (Wharton 131). The arrangement between Trenor and Lily led to indecent rumors about her and ultimately “banished…without trial” from society (Wharton 234).
Many times, Simon Rosedale offered to assist Lily with her situation.

He offered help by means of financial freedom if she would marry him. His requirements were stated up front and clearly made known to Lily. His expectation was that Lily would propel his own social status to an upper level that he desired. However, Lily never accepted Rosedale’s offers because he did not meet her superior standards according to the attitudes she learned in society. Her downfall here was that she was aligned with the same attitudes of society that ultimately condemned her and shunned her from its rank. Just as others required much from her, she required much in the form of an acceptable status, which Rosedale could not offer her, as he did not meet the criteria defined by the established social

order.
Certainly a set of letters could have purchased Lily’s freedom from the banishment from society and financial ruin. Lily possessed love letters from Bertha Dorset, a married society woman, to a single man, Lawrence Selden. Perhaps other members of society, such as Rosedale suggested, would use the letters to blackmail Bertha and rescind the expulsion from society. While Lily recognized the power she owned with the letters, she refused to use them. Ironically, this decision, while her moral highpoint, sealed her fate and left her without any other options for to save herself.
Lily’s distinct charm and beauty attracted attention and favors from many people. Though, with these favors came requirements from the donors. However, Lily’s inability and refusal to fulfill the obligations eventually brought financial ruin and the loss of her elite social status. Finally, she was left to learn a new way of life to survive. Yet, “she had learned by experience that she had neither the aptitude nor the moral constancy to remake her life on new lines; to become a worker…and let the world of luxury and pleasure sweep by her” (Wharton 234).
As shown, Lily was given, a place to live, money to purchase what she wished, offers of marriage and a way out of her dreadful situation. In the end, she died alone in a boarding house with “dingy” surroundings, her definitive detestation (Wharton 26). While entrusted with the tools to make a nice life for herself in society, she did not meet the requisite demands of the social code. Indeed, Lily was given much, and much was required.