Failure Of Individuation-An Interpretation Of Lily Bart In The House Of Mirth From Jung’s Analytical Psychology

The House of Mirth, an important work in Edith Wharton’s literary career, isoften read as a naturalist and feminist novel and Lily Bart as a victim of nature andpatriarchal society and a woman gradually awakening. This research, intending toreveal the real cause of Lily’s death, attempts to interpret this novel through theperspective of Jung’s Analytical Psychology theory. Through a detailed analysis ofthe process of Lily’s individuation, including her persona, shadow and animus, andthe analysis of the failure of her individuation, the research indicates that Lily diesfrom the conflicts between her persona and shadow.Her bringing up, her former education, and her living environment all increasethe inflation of her persona to be a fair lady in the upper class, which finally deprivesher ability to face her shadow bravely and to adjust to the new environment once sheis driven to the lower class of the society. The awakened Lily cannot return to her oldself, neither can she develop her new self without economic independence and thespiritual support of Selden in the materialistic society. The only solution to herdilemma is death. Lily’s individuation fails in the end, but her courage, her effort, herawakening, and her spiritual integrity deserve our respect.