Sunday, July 15, 2012

Well I Take That Back [The House of Mirth Book 2: Chapters 1&2]

The House of Mirth
Edith Wharton

Selden is on a cruise with his circle of friends or people he talks to anyway. Learning that Lily was on another ship with the Dorset's (I do not know how she was allowed to go), Selden decides that he would avoid Lily at all costs, so that his feelings do not creep up again. Now someone may ask themself, "Self, why would he avoid her if he loves her?" I would tell everyone the answer, but I am asking the same thing. As I see it, Lily and Selden had absolutely no chance of avoiding each other forever; they are destined to be together. He did in fact see her and believed she had reached an understanding of herself.

Lily decided to go on the trip in order to forget her problems at home. Problem is she will have to go home eventually and face her problems then, so why put it off? (Probably in order to make this book longer and this story all the more intriguing, but one should no run from their problems, they should face them.)

Dorset needed Lily as someone to talk to, but "he wanted her to suffer with him, not to help him to suffer less" (Wharton, 164). But perhaps he was holding on too tight, because Mrs. Dorset was getting rather upset with Lily (I am guessing because of jealousy). This is the second time that I feel people are yelling at Lily for no reason, but I guess if they did not have a reason, they would not be yelling.

I wish my face did not look like this while reading this book.

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