House of Mirth: Blog 14-pages 241-252

    So, Lily Bart is not cut out for the world of working-shocker! Just as she doesn't know how she is going to go on any longer, Rosedale shows up to save the day, to save Lily. They agree to marry as soon as Lily uses the letters to clear things up with Bertha. Then, just as all the readers think it's the end of the story, we are wrong once again. It is only the beginning of the end, and there are still a few lessons to be learned. Primarily, she needs to recognize and admit to all the mistakes with Seldon- the man she actually did truly love and lose. Stopping by his house on the way to Dorsets', Lily finally lets her guard down and is honest, pouring her heart out to poor Seldon. She admits that it was his love, and belief in her was what kept her going all this time. Though she desperately wishes things could be different, she is convinced that they can't be. Finally we see that Lily recognizes and regrets the mistakes she made, people she hurt, and all the things she ever took for granted. This may not be the turning point for the plot line in the novel, but it is definitely a turning point for our main character who, while in struggling to secure her place in society, thought she had wound up all alone with nothing. It is now that she realizes that she will always have these friends like Seldon and Gerty who were there through the whole thing. Wharton writes, "I remember your saying such a life could never satisfy me...that is what I wanted to thank you for. I wanted to tell you that I have always remembered..." (Wharton 250).