A Feminist Reading Of Edith Wharton's The House Of Mirth

This M.A. thesis aims to offer a feminist reading of Edith Wharton's The House of Mirth. Since its publication in 1905, the novel has drawn great concern from both critics and readers. The House of Mirth, the first important work in Wharton's career, establishes many of her major themes and motifs. The novel reveals the subordinate status of women and their awakening sense of rebellion. Through a detailed analysis of the heroine of the novel, Lily Bart, and other female characters, this thesis argues that though she is no conscious feminist, Wharton has clearly conveyed in her work the problems faced by so many women at her time and their struggling efforts to assert freedom.This thesis is composed of four chapters. The first chapter examines Lily's status as an object under male gaze in the patriarchal society. An analysis of her relationship with the male characters shows that the male characters in the novel can interpret Lily according to their own preferences and needs. Women, excluded from labor and left out of the social network of economic systems, become commodities that can be consumed.The second chapter studies Lily's silenced status in the male-dominated society. Male dominance in language coerces women to the state of silence. Conforming to the male-dominated social linguistic pattern, Lily gives the priority of speech to the male characters consciously. In most cases, Lily has no control over the conversation, and she is even unable to utter her voice. Female discourse is thus coerced to silence. Moreover, she is talked about by men and becomes the victim of malicious gossip.The third chapter further explores Lily's reaction to her status in the male-dominated society through an analysis of the strategy of female doubling. On the one hand, she wants to live as her rich female friends do, so she conforms to the norms and plays her role as the Other. While on the other hand, she rebels against the oppression and aspires for freedom from the restrictions. A close study of her ambivalent attitude toward her role in the society reveals Lily's double selves.The fourth chapter extends the discussion to other female characters in the novel. For the wealthy women inhabiting "the house of mirth," though they appear cruel and mean, they are, themselves, simultaneously victims and victimizers. For the poor working-class women out of "the house of mirth," Wharton displays warm female kinship in their relationship with Lily, and what's more important, Wharton offers hope in her depiction of these women's lives.The concluding part of this thesis sums up Edith Wharton's treatment of the female issues reflected in The House of Mirth, and points out the importance of this novel in Wharton's whole writing career. For her sharp insight into her time, Wharton establishes herself as an important writer at the turn-of-the-century America.