The House of Mirth: Book I VI-VII

By the sixth chapter of Edith Wharton's The House of Mirth, the write introduces several prominent minor characters. Percy Gryce, a dull and wealthy man, and Lawrence Selden, independent and poor, remain Lily's two marriage prospects. When choosing b

Lawrence Selden

etween the two men, Lily also chooses a lifestyle. Percy Gryce symbolizes the life Lily has always struggled to attain. His wealth and power would allow Lily a life of wealth. However, Lily begins to doubt the necessity of the wealth and privlige for which she had always longed. These doubts stem from multiple conversations with another minor character, Mr. Selden. In Lily's eyes, Selden's lack of money makes him an unsuitable husband. However, Selden represents a life Lily does not even realize she wants, full of spontanity and freedom. Selden and Lily have stimulating conversations, in which the subject often leads to to marriage or the unimportance of money. Selden states, " Isn't it natural that I should try to belittle all the things I can't offer you" (Wharton, 58). Whichever man Lily chooses will drastically alter her lifestyle and the course of her future.