The House of Mirth
Edith Wharton
The book starts focused on Lily Bart, a traveling single woman readying herself for a train ride to Bellomont. As she waits, she encounters Mr. Selden, who seems as a friend and not a romantic interest. Nevertheless, Lily Bart, who clearly uses her look and appeal to get ahead in life, flirts with Selden carelessly. She bids farwell to Selden in order to catch her train, and runs into Mr. Rosedale. Almost immediately i disliked Rosedale. Wharton described him as a "plump rosy man if the blond Jewish type," with "screwed-up lids" (Wharton, 10). The depiction of Rosedale conjures up the image a hefty, creepy man who enjoys talking with young pretty women, which just gives me the heebie jeebies. Lily is also uncomfortable with the encounter, but feels inclined to seem delighted as to keep Rosedale pleased. She makes up a lie as to why she was in the building with Selden, saying she visited her dressmaker, and artfully gets out of the conversation with Rosedale. Lily then meets another man, Percy Gryce. Gryce seems alright, he is wealthy, somewhat shy, and somewhat of an enigma. Because of his timidness, the reader doesn't know his true intentions as of yet, but he seems interested in Lily. Both her and Gryce will be going to a party in Bellomont, so we shall see what happens there.
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