Edith Wharton
Mr. Trenor is introduced as a fellow who is willing to help Lily, and Lily feels it is important to be on good terms with Mr. Trenor, because she wishes to remain close friends with Mrs. Trenor. Mr. Trenor invests Lily's money in the stock market, which in turn caused Lily's receiving of money. In order to continue receiving the money, Lily had to keep Mr. Trenor in good spirits, which appeared easy enough to do according to Lily. However, I thought by investing in the stock market there was also a potential to lose money, so why would Trenor guarantee success. (I suppose at the time the stock market was booming enough that the possibility of losing money was not an actual possibility.)
Bertha Dorset, sabotage extraordinaire, seems to want to even the score between her and Lily by talking to Gryce of Lily's borrowing money. Despite whether or not what Bertha told him was one-hundred percent accurate, Gryce still believed in enough to go back home early from the Bellomont. Shortly after it is discovered that Gryce is engaged. Now that Gryce is no longer an option, will Lily turn to Selden? Is it possible that Bertha will continue to interfere with Lily's friends and turn them against her? I believe the book will lead to someone else who is jealous of Lily to attempt to turn people against her.
Wharton's word choice, also known as diction, allows develop the imagery and represent the time frame of the story. The expressions that Wharton uses, such as the ones that will follow, are uncommon, if ever used, in our language today.
- "'By Jove, Lily you do look a stunner!'" (Wharton, 74)
- "Hang it, if he could find a way out of such difficulties for a professional sponge like Carry Fisher..." (Wharton, 68).
- "Of course it was shocking for a married woman to borrow money-and Lily was expertly aware of the implication involved-but still, it was the mere malum prohibitum which the world decries but condones..." (Wharton, 64).
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