Edith Wharton
"'At first I thought I couldn't, because we'd been brought up together, and I knew he knew about me. But after a while I began to see that that made it easier'" (Wharton, 256). The latter acts a a foreshadow to the revelation Lily has later in the section that the person in her life described as previous is Selden. Selden always knew the true Lily. He represents that even though Lily could not always see who she really was, her true self always remained. Her "other self" was brought to her attention in Selden's presence, but I think that it was simply a symbolic matter. As in today's world there are people and events that lead one away and toward who they really are.
Lily is beginning to turn her life around and to see her true self without the presence of Selden. Foreshadowed a little bit earlier in the story was the possible overdose. It was ironic that Selden had come to Lily's before he knew of her state just to tell her "the word." The connection is drawn assuming that Selden's word is the same word as Lily's word. They had always loved each other, and now that Lily is dead they finally understand. I thought that was a fairly odd way to end the story, but I did not write the book.
But the question remains:
COPYCAT
ReplyDelete