She also addresses the other observation, that there aren't very many females in the book, by saying “It was such a passive society. Girls got their status from their boy-friends. They weren't interested in doing anything on their own. ”(Malone). This quote shows that there aren’t many females in her book because most of the girls didn’t want to do things on their own and just stuck around their boyfriends who gave them their social status.
Research papers require a lot of critical thinking, planning, and research. First, one needs an interesting topic. Then, one needs at least one critical reading strategy to analyze the literary works in the topic. Finally, one needs to do preliminary research and write a basic thesis statement. After that, one has the beginning of a good research paper.
THESIS: In her novel The Age of Innocence, Edith Wharton shows that the impacts of societal norms, customs, and traditions are inescapable, through the experiences of characters Ellen Olenska and Newland Archer, and the progression of their relationship. Ellen Olenska is one of the most unique members of New York society, and even though she defies social norms, she is unable to avoid their influence. When “poor Ellen Olenska” first returns to New York City, it is immediately clear that she is an outcast (6). Coming from Europe, she is the opposite of fashionable, contrasting with a typical New York women in numerous ways: how she dresses, where she lives, and how she behaves.
That insistence upon her own happiness at the cost of the disapproval of her friends is not seen as simply wanting to have a nice time in her life. It is seen as Wharton wanting to flirt and waste her time with parties. Lucy Freeman, Wharton’s best friend, describes her in The Coquette; or, the History of Eliza Wharton as “[meaning] to exhibit a few more girlish airs” before she gets married (Foster 595). Freemen very strongly disapproves of this inclination, particularly when she has her own opinions about who and when Wharton should marry. Wharton only pleases Freeman when she gives in and gets engaged to the man her friend
She perpetuates the stereotype that women can be bought value the materialistic aspects of life the most. This becomes most evident during her time in Gatsby’s mansion, when he shows her the extent of his wealth: “[Gatsby] took out a pile of shirts and began throwing them, […] Daisy bent her head into the shirts and began to cry stormily. ‘They’re such beautiful shirts,’ she sobbed, her voice muffled in the thick folds. ‘It makes me sad because I’ve never seen such—such beautiful shirts before’”(Fitzgerald 92). Daisy’s emotions are triggered by the pure display of wealth, as one would expect from a character whose sole purpose is to abide by social expectations.
In this article, Gabler-Hover and Plate talks about how Lily must follow what social construct wants her to be. She is represented as a male gaze but Lily attempts to move “beyond” the patriarchal values. As Lily tries to survive in this patriarchy world, “Trenor comes close to raping Lily after getting her into his home under false pretenses.” Women were meant to serve male desire, but Gabler-Hover and Plate state that the “language in The House of Mirth (for Lily) is controlled by men. Thus, she is blocked from fulfilling her desires.
The whole point of becoming pretty is to win the prince’s attention. All the women have to compete with their prettiness to get the prince for their ultimate goal. It was hard for women to move up socially or economically because women had
Van Alstyne commented, “That Greiner house, now – a typical rung in the social ladder” (Wharton, 159). This quote very directly shows how excessive residences were built by the rich in order to gain status in New York’s highest social circle. Wharton contrasted the homes of the elite such as Greiner, with the home of the indigent Gerty Farish who lived in a humble apartment. Since Farish’s lowbrow apartment was disparaged by the wealthy characters in the novel, it was clear that she could never be a member of their social circle. Thus, in NYC in the Gilded Age the location, size and costliness of one’s house could determines one’s social standing in high society.
The House of Mirth, written in 1905 is an exemplary novel narrated through the eyes of an upper class woman. Through
Edith Wharton’s The House of Mirth is a nineteenth-century novel about Lily Bart, a single woman who was well-born but struggling with her finances, and her path to marriage in high society Old New York. One of the struggles that Lily faces is with gambling, which causes trouble for her because she does not have enough money to gamble and her society is disgraced and offended by gambling. Lily Bart defies the norms of Old New York society by gambling and risk-taking and the consequences of her choices are severe. Lily begins gambling and risk-taking in her everyday life and those gambles directly relate to her disinheritance and her eventual death.
Khadija Alasow ENG 337 Final Essay Oppression and suppression of Lily’s identity The notion of Identity is made up of individual qualities and/or beliefs that are inherent in one’s character. The identity also plays a role in how they portray themselves to others. However, if society isn’t accepting of your beliefs and values one will attempt to mask their true identity and adopt the given one. Written in 1905, Edith Wharton’s novel The House of Mirth portrays the downfall of Lilly Bart ……..consumed with superficial materialistic .
This means that women back then were just focused on their social status and riches rather than trying to raise a family. Various women valued money more than anything and would do anything to achieve it. Although Daisy had selfish desires, in today’s society women work for themselves, not needing a man to help them be financially
In Italy lucy see that people can be beautiful without being proper or wealthy. In chapter 1, Lucy says “About old Mr. Emerson—I hardly know. No, he is not tactful; yet, have you ever noticed that there are people who do things which are most indelicate, and yet at the same time—beautiful?” (Forster 9) Charlotte doesn’t feel the same about the Emersons and she is rather offended by their lack of propriety. These are the generalized views of english society.
How does Henrik Ibsen use characterisation to criticise the patriarchal society of the time? How does Henrik Ibsen use the progressive characterisation of Nora to criticise the patriarchal society of the time? Intro Henrik Ibsen’s
This play, A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen, focuses on women, especially in marriage and motherhood. Torvald is a character, who describes inequality between men and women and the women’s role in the society in that era. He believes that it is an important and the only duty of a woman to be a good wife and mother. As an individual, a woman, could not conduct or run a business of her own, she needs to ask her father or husband and they were only considered to be father’s or husband’s property. Women were not allowed to vote and divorce if they were allowed they would carry a heavy social shame and it was only available when both partners agreed.
