The House of Mirth
Edith Wharton
And no, there aren't any vampires, werewolves, or horrible actresses, just impossible cases of misfortune. Lily begins this section as the last one ended, on a cruise ship with elegant nobility and is enjoyed by most everyone. Bertha Dorset, however, has it out to get rid of Lily. Surprisingly, Bertha takes care of her Lily Bart situation quite easily by publicly announcing that Miss Bart won't be staying on the cruise any longer and will be getting off at the next stop, and Lily just takes it! Personally, I think Lily could have easily fought to keep herself on that cruise, but maybe she just didn't want any commotion. Lily quickly realizes she has no where to go and very little money for anything. Selden swoops in to rescue her, but her does a mediocre job at helping her. he negotiates for her to stay at Jack Stepney's place for the night, and she must leave in the morning. The sense of loneliness hits Lily that night when "he (Selden) left her outside, in the darkness of the raised hood..." (Wharton 178). Lily is feels further exiled when she receives a mere $10,000 (in order to repay her debts) from her aunt Mrs. Peniston when she died abruptly. Grace Stepney gets most of the estate under Mrs Peniston's name, and Lily is basically left stranded once again. She realizes that all she ha left is her friend Gerty Farish.
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