The Cruelty Of Social Arena-Study On Women In The House Of Mirth From The Perspective Of Darwinism

As the most famous woman of letters in America and the first woman winner of the Pulitzer Prize, Edith Wharton (1862-1937) made her reputation as a chronicler of the American upper classes among whom she was raised and cultivated. As a keen observer and chronicler of her society, Edith Wharton is without peer. This thesis tends to study on her first bestseller—The House of Mirth.The House of Mirth has invited different schools of critical theories and has been subjected to a multitude of interpretations. Most of these criticisms attribute Lily's tragedy to the dominant patriarchy and masculinity from the perspective of feminism. This thesis, based on the textual analysis of The House of Mirth, attempts to interpret it from a new perspective—Darwinism.This thesis consists of three parts except an introduction and a conclusion. The first part discusses the essence of Darwinism and its influence upon Wharton as well as her works. The second part analyzes the principle of natural selection running through Lily's life including the principle of adaptation, struggle for existence and heredity. Under the forces of natural selection, the core component of Darwinism, the kind, fragile and noble lady Lily Bart is a misfit in the society of "the survival of the fittest, the end justifies the means", just as the weak must be exterminated out of the fierce competition against the strong in accordance with the law of biological evolution. The third part makes a comparison between the failure of Lily Bart with the survival of other female characters and summarizes the principle of Darwinism reflected in the life of Lily and other female characters.In conclusion, this thesis points out that Wharton responds actively to Darwinism with her belief in the principles of natural selection, and application of the law of evolution to human society; Darwinism contributes to the inevitability of Lily's tragedy. In all, this is the cruelty of the law of natural selection in the social arena—only the fittest and the strongest can survive. Deviation from society is undesirable; human beings must compromise, must change and adapt in order to survive.