Settings and Its Importance

1273 Words3 Pages

Time seems to be the only constant force in the ever-changing society of human. In today’s society, people have made huge progress in both technology and equality for all, no matter the gender and race. However, at the end of the 19th century in The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton, the Victorian society is ruled by strict expectations and standards. On the other hand, taking place in the beginning of the 20th century, This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald portrays a society that is fed up with the standards and rules of the Victorian society. Despite of the time differences, both novels share many similarities and differences that shape the development of the characters in the novel. Wharton and Fitzgerald both use the time period to explore the close relationship between marriage and money. While The House of Mirth was published in 1905, Wharton sets the story at the end of the 19th century, during America’s Gilded Age. In this time period, American’s industrialized economy expanded, and the gap between rich and poor grew. In The House of Mirth, Wharton portrays both side of the spectrum through Lily Bart. At the beginning of the novel, Lily Bart is a part of the upper-crust New York society; however, at the end of the novel, Wharton symbolizes Lily’s complete fall from grace through the boarding house in which Lily lives in, the very definition of dinginess that Lily hate: “She knew that she hated dinginess as much as her mother had hated it and to her last breath she meant to fight against it” (Wharton 42). While Lily do tries to fight against the dinginess, her decisions repeatedly ruined her chance for marriage. The setting is especially important in Lily’s struggle due to the time period; it is not common for a wo... ... middle of paper ... ...e. Despite their many shared interests, Fitzgerald portrays Amory as a man who can no longer love even though his name suggests otherwise. Due to the setting of This Side of Paradise, Fitzgerald is able to develop Amory through his relationships with women. Both Wharton and Fitzgerald use the setting and the time period as the force to push the characters into despair and failure. While The House of Mirth and This Side of Paradise take place in different time period, both shares many similarities in term of social norms and expectations. Through the strict Victorian society, Edith Wharton uses the importance of reputation to cause Lily’s descent in society. Other the hand, the more promiscuous society of early 20th century allows Fitzgerald to portray Amory Blaine’s egotism and makes Amory into a dynamic character through his interactions with women in the novel.

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