Painful Goodbye

The emotional roller coaster Lily is riding in The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton takes many turns at this point in the book. For the first time in the book, Wharton describes Lily to be crying in the presence of Selden. I think Wharton made Lily cry in Selden's presence to make the point that Selden was the only one who could induce Lily's true emotions. In these chapters, Wharton makes the point that Selden is really the only one who can understand Lily. However, I think that for Lily's best interest, they need to move on in their lives. As Lily is speaking with Selden, she says to him, "Do you remember what you said too me once? That you could help me only by loving me? Well- you did love me for a momen; and it helped me. It has always helped me. But the moment is gone- it was I who let it go. And one must go on living. Goodbye" (Wharton, 251). I think that Lily's intentions for meeting formally with Selden one last time were for closure and inner peace. She needed to appropriately say goodbye to Selden. Even though Lily is now unemployed and living in a halfway house, letting go of this part of her life will be key in the life she leads ahead of her. I think that everyone reaches a moment in their life where, at some point, they realize that letting go of something is essential for growth.