Friends

The House of Mirth
Edith Wharton
Book II

Throughout the novel, Lily worked to cultivate her appearance of wealth and superiority. Her desire to maintain her appearance surpassed all else including marriage. Lily chose her friends based on their appearances and on the possibility of improving her status.  "It was success that dazzled her..." (Wharton, 195). Her superficial friends, however, quickly turned away from her upon hearing Bertha's story of their cruise. To Lily's friends,  agreeing with Bertha and shunning Lily was easier than maintaining their friendships with Lily. Despite this, Lily still desired "to get back to her former surroundings" (Wharton, 192). In order to achieve this goal, Lily must "keep up a show of prosperity" (Wharton, 200). Essentially Lily is willing to spend money she does not have to impress friends who are not hers. She spends money to appear wealthier, but in reality, every dollar she spends brings her closer and closer to debt.Lily's lust for superiority has blinded her to those who are real, such as Gerty Farish. I am frustrated that still after all this time she does not see that those people (who turned from her) are not her friends. They only kept her around because they wanted to improve their own social status. 


This happens in life today too. Some people, especially teens, choose their friends with aspirations for popularity. Some people float without direction in a crowd of people pretending to be happy simply because they like the idea of having such friends. Only later does he or she realize that their friends really are not their friends. A friend is someone who offers support no matter the circumstances/rumors. Friends bring out the best in one another and are truly themselves when around each other. In regard to the novel, I hope that Lily will learn to really embrace her friendship with Gerty and stop trying to rekindle her friendships with superficial people.