The House of Mirth
Edith Wharton
As the novel progresses, I see the development of a theme introduced within the first couple chapters. The theme, deception in love, becomes evident when both Selden and Percy reside at the Bellomont house along with Lily. Lily began her relationship with Percy telling him many small lies, like not smoking, attending church, and being dragged into playing bridge. She led Percy to believe that she was some type of saintlike person, whereas the reader knows she not very different from the other residents at the Bellomont house.
In addition to this, Lily has lied to Selden. She apparently has feelings for him, but she tells him that they are only friends. She thought, "...till now she had been too busy with her own affairs to regard him as more than one of the pleasant accessories of life"(Wharton, 43). Still, when she spends time with him, she treats him as another acquaintance rather than expressing her feelings.
Finally, Lily has been lying to herself. Throughout the novel so far, Lily has displayed conflicted feelings for both Percy and Selden. Lily wants to marry Percy for his money, but she shows little interest in his actual personality. (For this, I would consider her a gold digger.) In contrast to this, Lily obviously has an emotionally deep relationship with Selden, which she refuses to admit to anyone including herself most likely because he is not excessively wealthy. She continues to pursue Percy while still deepening her friendship with a man who appears to have deeper feelings for her. "...She rose gallantly to the defence of her confusion, by saying, as its object approached:'That was why I was waiting for you - to thank you for having given me so many points'" (Wharton, 50).
I wonder who will prevail in the imminent struggle for Lily's heart.
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