The House of Mirth Society and Class Quotes Page 1
Citations follow this format: (Book.Chapter.Paragraph)
| Quote #1 She was smaller and thinner than Lily Bart, with a restless pliability of pose, as if she could have been crumpled up and run through a ring, like the sinuous draperies she affected. Her small pale face seemed the mere setting of a pair of dark exaggerated eyes, of which the visionary gaze contrasted curiously with her self-assertive tone and gestures; so that, as one of her friends observed, she was like a disembodied spirit who took up a great deal of room. (1.2.38) |
Being a woman automatically gives you some control in this novel; the men, on the other hand, have to work harder for social power.
| Quote #2 Lily was therefore able to observe Mrs. Dorset also, and by carrying her glance a few feet farther, to set up a rapid comparison between Lawrence Selden and Mr. Gryce. It was that comparison which was her undoing. (1.5.10) |
Her undoing, or her salvation? By what rubric are we to judge Lily's decision of Selden over Gryce?
| Quote #3 She had always hated her room at Mrs. Peniston's – its ugliness, its impersonality, the fact that nothing in it was really hers. (1.13.78) |
Lines like this one reveal Lily's true desire – to be independent. But as the second half of the novel confirms, she is physically incapable of leading the life she desires.
