The House of Mirth, Book One, Sections VII and VIII

The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton

Lily, having ruined her chances with Gryce by adventuring out with Selden, finds herself being vehemently scolded by Judy Trenor as section VII begins.  Trenor laments for Lily, as Gryce would have been the "great deal of money" that Lily could have married to solve all her problems (Wharton 67).  Such metonymic descriptions of wealthy males and husbands pervade Wharton's writing, reinforcing a dehumanizing motif of husbands as mere ATMs that promotes The House of Mirth's overall message: wealth and luxury corrupt lives.  For a short time, Lily seems to stray away from this recurring theme as she, thinking of Selden, maintains a joyful composure in the face of Trenor's invective.  However, eventually Trenor's words hit home with Lily and she becomes consumed with finding a source of wealth, even if it isn't through marriage.  As such, Lily reveals her hubris: she cannot let go of her affinity for luxury.  Nevertheless, Lily befriends Mr. Trenor, a stock broker, and begins to earn lump sums of money through his free-of-charge services speculating with her money.  The smitten Lily with an open-mind to mediocre living that walked with Selden has disappeared.

Section VIII transports Lily to the wedding of Jack Stepney and Gwen Van Osburgh.  Lily refused to be a bridesmaid, as she had already been "a casual spectator" in many weddings before and would not participate again until she became "the mystically veiled figure occupying the centre of attention" (Wharton 70).  I believe  Lily's refusal may foreshadow her own wedding occurring fairly soon.  In addition, Lily encounters both the former object of her pursuits, Percy Gryce, and the mysterious, aloof Lawrence Selden at the wedding.  Gryce, now romantically involved with Evie Van Osburgh symbolizes the affluent, well-to-do lifestyle that Lily so yearns for while Selden represents the independence and freedom that Lily has never really had.  Wharton juxtaposes the two to depict the internal conflict within  Lily as to which lifestyle she should pursue. At the end of the section, Lily reluctantly reveals her pretentious, superficial side to Selden by flattering Mr. Rosedale before she learns an interesting happening:  Percy Gryce and Evie Van Osburgh are engaged.