Small Character. Big Impact.

The House of Mirth
Edith Wharton

In every novel, minor characters play important roles in developing the plot.  Mrs. Haffen, who was seen previously in the novel as a nameless charwoman, reappears to present Lily with a somewhat troubling situation. This woman, who saw Lily leaving Lawrence Selden's residence, mistook her for the woman who wrote a slew of letters to Selden. Mrs. Haffen, who was in desperate need of money herself,  reappeared in the story to blackmail Lily. For that brief moment, Mrs. Haffen held great power. If one holds possession of an item that another desires, then that one holds power. "I guess they're worth more to you than to me, Miss, but the poor has got to live as well as the rich" (Wharton, 86). No matter what the social status, anyone can hold power over another. Lily paid Mrs. Haffen to gain possession of the letters. I fear that Lily may fall into greater financial troubles and may eventually try to use the letters as blackmail against Mrs. Dorset, the writer of the letters.  In this regard, Lily and Mrs. Haffen are similar. Both face financial troubles, and when in desperation, they fall to, more or less, unrespectable means of gaining money to support their lifestyles. (i.e. blackmail or secret loans) It is my hope that Lily will not use the letters against anyone, but will discretely return them to their rightful owner.