Lily Bart, the main character in Edith Wharton's The House of Mirth has a very distict personality. She's charming, beautiful, slightly spoiled, and ambitious. She resembles many heroines in modern pop culture today. One of the most popular characters of the generation, Char Horowitz from the movie Clueless, has not only personality traits similar to Lily, but also life events. One major turning point for Char is the scene where she decides to use her wealth and popularity to help a local charity raise money. After recieving money from Gus Trenor's "tips", Lily too has money to do with what she pleases. When told about a friend's humanitarian work, she is compelled to help and donates her newly aquired money. Much like Char, she gains pride and accoplishment out of helping others. However, unlike Char, Lily feels the her generosity makes up for her unneccesary spending, stating "she felt that her momentary burst of generosity had justified all previous extravagances, and excused any in which she might subsequently indulge" (Wharton, 91). This tells the reader Lily has yet to learn a lesson in regards to her overspending and gambling, although she has hit many rough patches. This signals it may take her hitting rock bottem to seize control of her expenses.
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| Char in the film Clueless. |
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