Blog #8

The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton
Analysis over chapter 11


I was very impressed by the manner in which chapter eleven was written. Though the story is mostly centered around the actions and whereabouts of Lily, this chapter contrarily follows the mind of Grace Stepney. It is made very evident early in this chapter that Ms.Stepney is not a fan of Ms.Lily Bart. After being excluded from one of Mrs.Peniston's dinner parties, Grace seeks her revenge through revealing to Mrs.Peniston all Lily's current conspicuous affairs. Not only is Grace causing distress for Mrs.Peniston, but she is always insinuating that people are beginning to talk poorly about Lily. This girl is vicious. One unattended dinner party and she decides to reveal social damaging secrets. All her built up anger is based off insufficient insinuation to top it all off. She simply assumes Lily is the tyrant behind her not receiving an invitation because she is under the impression that Lilly doesn't like her. It is stated,"She did not dislike Lily because the latter was brilliant and predominant, but because she thought that Lily disliked her.It is less mortifying to believe one's self unpopular than insignificant."(Wharton, 100). The only reason Miss Stepney even comes to this conclusion is due to her own insecurities. The author comments,"Miss Stepney knew exactly what had happened. Lily, to whom family reunions were occasions of unalloyed dullness, had persuaded her aunt that a dinner of "smart" people would be much more to the taste of the young couple."(Wharton,100). In order to prove that she is in fact not insignificant, Grace feels the need to use what little power she does have over Lily and use it to her best advantage. This scene in the novel creates a clever way to say a simple thing. Other than having Lily hear people talking about her or being confronted by an upset friend, readers are thrown right into the gossip, experiencing the situation first hand.