House of Mirth: Blog 1-pages 1-18

    In Edith Wharton's House of Mirth, readers don't have to get very far in the book to realize how many characters are quickly introduced within the first section of the book. The novel introduces Seldon who in the very first paragraph catches sight of the beautiful Lily Bart- also the book's protagonist. At first, a reader like myself might get the impression that she is selfish, rich, and spoiled, but during her brief time with Seldon, one begins to notice that there is more going on with Lily than meets the eye. She may have particularly high standards, but she does have troubles and struggles daily with expectations to be a perfect woman- which she knows will mean marriage soon. She reveals a lot of this to Seldon very early on in the book. At this point, I have no idea where Seldon fits into the picture- if he is an important character later on in the book, or if he was just a lucky person for Lily to run into in the book's introduction. They talked briefly on marriage and the reader gets a glimpse into the minds of both Lily and Seldon. Lily is stuggling to decide on wealth or love, as she is convinced she cannot have both. Seldon, while not in any hurry to find someone to settle down with, knows that he won't settle for someone- even if it means living poor.
    Further along, after Lily leaves Seldon's place, she hurries off to catch the train where other important characters come into play. First there is Mr. Rosedale, who has Lily so flustered that she lies about where she had come from. Why? I am not sure yet, but I do know that she seemed very intimidated by his presence. Especially through Wharton's comment, "But, after having let herself be surprised in a falsehood, it was doubly stupid to snub the witness of her discomfiture" (Wharton 11). As she enters the train on her way to Bellomont, she spots Mr. Gryce and quickly moves to greet him and begin a conversation. Whether or not he is just another "toy" at her disposal is yet to be decided. However, she is very upset when another character- possible antagonist Mrs. George Dorset- enters the scene, interrupting Lily's time with Mr. Gryce. All in all, there is still much to be learned about each character that has come into the picture at the beginning of the novel. I look forward to seeing how omniscient narrator and auther Edith Wharton decides to use these characters as the novel unfolds.