The Significance Of Garden Images In The House Of Mirth

As the masterpiece of classical writer Edith Wharton, The House of Mirth have caused heated criticism, however, its garden images have barely been noticed. As a matter of fact, gardens assume tremendous importance to Edith Wharton both as a woman and as a writer. Wharton not only designed gardens for herself and published landscape works, she also created many beautiful gardens in her novels.Gardens in The House of Mirth also carry significant meanings. First of all, they have far past their role as an ornamental and recreation place, but turn into an extended domestic space and offer homeless Lily a private space to remove her social mask, contemplate and be herself. Secondly, gardens are also the place where Lily gains her subjectivity, where she comes to know the republic of spirit, her sexuality is aroused and her artistic creativity is inspired and celebrated. In addition, garden images in the novel are also a technique of literary creation Wharton artistically employs to set off the development of the novel.Major garden scenes appear six times in the novel, all functioning as domestic sphere for Lily, yet each with distinctive emphasis. The garden path Lily took in the morning at Bellomont offered her a private space to contemplate and face her innermost desire. The garden at Bellomont where Lily took an afternoon walk with Selden not only led her into his republic of spirit, but also aroused her sexuality. The Brys'deserted garden after the tableaux vivants not only embraced Lily's artistic creativity, but also externalized her sexuality and encouraged her to kiss Selden. The deserted garden at Monte Carlo Lily retreated with Selden was like an understanding mother, offering her space to heal her wound and regain her courage for new life. As a technique of literary creation, the garden scenery Selden viewed at Monte Carlo foreshadowed the development of the story like a prophet. The Bryant Park where Lily took a rest on its damp bench before her death was more like a mirror of the indifferent human world, setting off Lily's bleak prospect and her tragic life. Naming is another artistic device connected with gardens. By naming the protagonist after "lily", a flower symbolizing purity, grace and nobility, Wharton not only implies Lily Bart's external beauty, her pure heart and noble soul, but also implies her incompatibility with the society and her tragic ending.Like writing, the garden is also Wharton's weapon against the male-dominated society. Gardens in The House of Mirth not only reveal their importance to Wharton, more importantly, they illustrate the significance they hold to women through its embodiment of private sphere, spiritual homeland and creativity. Through the images of gardens, Wharton not only condemns the privileged and pities the weak, but also conveys that women are not ornaments or property of men, but initiative beings with consciousness. The comparison between garden scenes and interiors not only reveal the oppressing life of women in the male-dominated society, but also indicates the urgency of women's liberation.As to the structure of the thesis, the first part of the thesis is a brief introduction to Wharton, The House of Mirth as well as literature review. Chapter one analyses Lily's incompatibility with the upper class she socializes in and points out that Lily's real home lies in the garden with gaze theory. Chapter Two is a specific analysis of the garden as Lily's spiritual homeland. Illustrating from the role gardens play as her spiritual republic, sexuality arouser as well as inspirer and accommodator of her artistic creativity, this chapter interprets the role gardens plays in the building of Lily's subjectivity. Chapter Three notes gardens as a technique of literary creation Wharton employs in the novel while the last part concludes the whole thesis.