Edith Wharton does a great job in showing the importance of marriage from the beginning of the novel to the end. In the beginning of The House of Mirth, marriage is Lily's way of becoming higher in society and rank. She was looking for a rich but nice man to marry just like all of her friends. However, in the end she is desperate to marry to get her back in high society. It is her only way of surviving financially and physically. Mrs. Fisher tells Lily " 'you must marry as soon as you can' " (Wharton, 193). Mrs. Fisher realizes that Lily needs to marry now if she wants to get back into society again. Wharton clearly illustrates the importance of status and marital status in society at the beginning of the novel and at the end. She pushes the reader to realize how monumental all of this is to Lily and others. If Lily wants to have any chance of staying in that higher status then she needs to find a husband as soon as possible. I wonder if she will marry Mr. Rosedale or even if she will marry at all.
I have noticed throughout the novel that many french words or phrases are used. Why does Wharton put those in the novel?
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