Blog 15- My overall opinion of the ENTIRE novel

The House Of Mirth by Edith Wharton, in my opinion, was a tough read. Perhaps, the barrier which kept me from thoroughly enjoying the novel was my inability to fully relate to any of the characters. Because of the importance of rank and wealth being focal points of twentieth century society, I find these things evident but not extremely important in my current life. Taking into account my young age, maybe the emphasis on wealth made by the novel will be easier to understand as I get older and money and income have a greater role in my life. Additionally, oftentimes, in the novel I became frustrated with the idea that most all the characters were trying to please others rather than themselves. As hard as it may be, I try to live for myself and not to please or impress others. I found that many people in the story, for example, Lily Bart, were obsessed with the idea of being rich like seemingly all the others. " 'Did you ever see such jewels? Do look at Mrs. George Dorset's pearls,' " (Wharton,107-108).. Lily I feel wastes her time comparing herself to others instead of bettering herself. Despite the negatives I found in the book, I did take away some valuable lessons. To name a few, realizing some things are not meant to be, people will accept money and deny they have a soul, and love waited out is a love potentially lost. Overall, I didn't love this book but I didn't hate it either.