Losing Hope

As the first book of The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton reaches its end, Lily's life seems to be on a downward spiral. Lily Bart's aunt, Mrs. Peniston, received confirmation from Lily that her gambling problems were in fact real. I think that Mrs. Peniston was disgusted with Lily's habits because she considered them to be unladlylike. When Lily told her aunt that she had thousands of dollars in debt to pay due to her gambling problem, her aunt was adamant about the fact that she would not be helping Lily. In addition to Lily's deteriorating relationship with her aunt, other relationships around her were becoming distant. I think Lily had written the note to Selden in hopes of meeting with him and clearing the air between them. When Lily had requested that they meet at four and he was hours late, she was gettting concerned. "She understood now that he was never coming- that he had gone away becasue he was afraid that he might come" (Wharton, 146). This excerpt from the book was taken after hours of Selden not showing. Lily was starting to lose hope in the people around her. She was starting to realize that the people who she thought would be there for her were only temporarily available.