A Change in Character

The House of Mirth
Edith Wharton
Book II

As the novel has progressed, I have noticed changes in Lily. Early in the novel, Lily was a prominent, young, beautiful woman whose only cares were to maintain her social standing. She shuddered at the thought of work and dinginess. Despite her efforts to avoid distaste, she found herself in the exact position which she had so hated before. Because Lily was removed from her social standing and was disowned by her family, particularly her aunt, she was forced to live on the charity of others. She allowed this for a short while, but because of her pride, which has remained throughout the novel, she sought work to support herself.
 With the help of Carry Fisher and Gerty Farish, Lily gained employment at Mme. Regina's hat shop. There, Lily found herself in a working environment surrounded by (to her standards) undesirable people. Instead of living a carefree life surrounded by wealthy people, Lily works as an equal to lifetime laborers. 

Also, the thought of her debt and other torments caused Lily to seek medication to aid her sleep. Sleeping medicine would not seem abnormal, but she gained the prescription through a copy of Mrs. Hatch's prescription. To me this seems illegal, and the way she talks of the medicine leads me to believe that she has an addiction. Before, she would never have needed medicine, let alone someone else's prescription to attain it. In this way, she has lost some of her sense of dignity.

One final aspect that signals a change in Lily is her relationship with Mr. Rosedale. Near the beginning of the novel Lily looked down on Rosedale and would not hold an honest conversation with him. Now, Lily held a completely honest conversation with Rosedale telling him everything in regard to her loan from Trenor. To my knowledge, Rosedale is one of the first people Lily told the entire story about her doings with Trenor. Upon the close of their conversation, Lily told Trenor that she would be glad to meet him again. This was "the first sincere words she had ever spoken to him" (Wharton, 238). Before her downfall from high society, Lily could twist her words to attain anything she aspired for. Now, her words are more simple and more honest, thus reflecting the simple life she is forced to live.