Lily as the Goddess Diana in The House of Mirth Essay -- House Mirth E

Lily as the Goddess Diana in The House of glee One of the tragedies in The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton is that Lily Bart is un fit to marry Laurence Selden and thereby secure a safe position in society. Their relationship fluctuates from casual intimacy to at once love depending on how and where Selden perceives Lily. Selden sees a beautious quality in Lily Bart that is not present in any of the other women in the novel. This mysterious peach tree that is so often alluded to, in addition to her attraction for the other men, is surmount understood when Lily is conceived of as the goddess Diana. As Diana, Lily Bart hunts for the perfect husband simply cannot marry, remains separate from the dinginess of society, and finally is crushed by a remorseless rejection that can even destroy a goddess. Diana, the goddess of the hunt and of maidenhood, utterly combines the traits that Lily Bart exhibits. Although never explicitly connected with the goddess, Whartons first descripti on of Lily notes her wild-wood compassion and sylvan freedom She paused before the mantelpiece, studying herself in the mirror duration she adjusted her veil. The attitude revealed the long slope of her slender sides, which gave a harming of wild-wood grace to her outline, as though she were a captured dryad subdued to the conventions of the drawing-room and Selden reflected that it was the same streak of sylvan freedom in her nature that lent such(prenominal) savour to her artificiality (15). Not only the description invokes the image of Diana, but alike Lilys name. The lily-of-the-valley is Dianas flower. Lily Bart later chooses to wear a plain white habilitate for her part in the Reynolds painting, thereby choosing the color of Diana. ... ...Wharton brilliantly interprets through Lilys downfall. Seldens unsuccessful love for Lily Bart hinges on his realization that it is her Diana-like qualities that set her apart to that degree it is this same distinct quality that will bring about her demise. Lilys softness to resurrect her reputation and use the letters against Bertha Dorset is intimately tied to her inability to marry her pattern of running away from each man that proposes to her plunges her into a downward spiral from which she cannot recover. It is not morals, but rather her qualities as the thoroughgoing(a) goddess that ultimately doom her. By making Lily into a form of Diana, Wharton is able to condemn her society even more fiercely. She shows us that the society Lily lives in has the ability to destroy even a goddess. Works Cited Wharton, Edith. The House of Mirth. Signet authoritative New York. 1964.