The House of Mirth: Blog 12

    The beginning of chapter five opens with the statement, "It seemed to Lily, as Mrs. Penistons's door closed on her, that she was taking a final leave of her old life" (Wharton, 187).  Upon reading this, I really felt that after the complicated mess that Lily gotten herself into, she finally is going to start anew.  This is Miss Bart's opportunity to escape the dramatic atmosphere of her friends.  I believe that environment pressures Lily to gamble and spend the money she does not have.  Lily has even managed to befriend the generous Gerty Farnish who has shown Lily true friendship when her other friends shunned her.

    However, in my opinion, the opening statement is deceiving.  Just as Lily starts to realize the benefits of this schism between herself and her social circle.  Mrs. Fischer appears out of nowhere to Lily.  Apparently, Mrs. Fischer wishes for Lily to accompany her to Alaska.  Lily thinks of this time not as a vacation with her friend, but a getaway until her friends realize how much they miss her.  Gerty presses her not to go this trip was "forfeiting her last chance of ever escaping from it" (Wharton, 191).  I fully agree that this will only led Lily BBart back to her old habits.  If Lily does decide to go on this trip to Alaska, I predict that she will, in fact, never recover from obsession with wealth and high society.