Blog 14- Detailed response to a specific line and comparison to another work:quotes

In the final chapter of The House Of Mirth by Edith Wharton, the novel comes to a close with exciting events and truths unraveling. I believe this to be the part of the novel where Selden's love for Miss Lily Bart is publicly expressed and understood. He understands the situations which made loving her so difficult and comes to terms with the fact that they never could truly be each other's. A quote mentioned in the novel sparked many related quotes. "He saw that all the conditions of life had conspired to keep them apart," "But at least he had loved her," (Wharton,267-268).. I thought this to go along the same line as the phrase, "Better to have loved and lost, than to never have loved at all." The idea is that, painful as it may be, having the experience and joys that love can bring is more fulfilling than to have never shared in that experience. Selden had loved Lily Bart, and that in itself is important. The idea of life conspiring to make their love not work out reminded me of a quote from the book Criss Cross. "Hector did look at Debbie, and he saw her, really saw her for a moment. Debbie looked at Hector and she saw him, really saw him, for a moment. If it had been the same moment something might have happened. But their moments were separated by about a second. Their paths crossed, but they missed each other." Sometimes, what can be is not destined to be. Just as Debbie and Hector's almost love, Selden and Lily's almost love wasn't fated and therefore, they missed each other.