Power

     Edith Wharton does a great job of illustrating the importance of power throughout The House of Mirth.  From the beginning I knew that money meant one was rich and high society.  However, it wasn't until the end that I came to realize how much power money gave people.  Lily does not have that power anymore, and she is becoming ill and poor.  The power that this money has over people is absolutely ridiculous.  Without it, they cannot seem to be able to live.  Wharton states that there is "an influence stronger than any she could exert.  That influence, in its last analysis, was simply the power of money. . ." (Wharton, 211).  The amount of power that people have depends on how much is in their bank account.  Lily, without any money, realizes how much power being rich gives to someone.  She is becoming very sick and depressed because she is a poor woman that has been kicked out of high society.  Today, I do believe that money holds a certain power as well. It allows people to buy material items in order to fit in with the people around them. However, I do not think that it is as important as it was back then.