The House of Mirth and Babylon Revisited Novel Comparisson

When a person reads a novel or short story they are looking for something that they can relate to, some similar experience that they share with the characters. Since the fall of man in the garden of Eden people have been experiencing terrible circumstances, some brought about through their own actions, other brought about simply through life, or fate. Since tragedy is so common among humanity, an author can create an immediate connection between the reader and the story through use of tragedy. Both The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton and “Babylon Revisited” by F. Scott Fitzgerald use the main characters, Lily and Charlie, to portray a theme of tragedy brought about by fate, which is relatable to every person who has experienced loss in their life.

In The House of Mirth Lily Bart, the main character is a society miss at the mercy of the world that she lives in. Lily’s main problem is her lack of money and this problem ultimately leads to all the tragedy in her life. Lily’s lack money would not seem like a problem to many people today, because we all know several people who are living life to the fullest without many funds. But in Lily’s society one needs money in order to get a husband. Mary Balkun explained in her book that “Lily … live[s] in a world of country homes, dinner parties, and the theatre” all of which require the use of money to attend (73). Since Lily has no money she turns to George Dorset, the husband of Bertha Dorset, her friend. He aggress to help her gain money through the stock market, however, Lily does not realize that she is expected to give up something in return; her body. Because of her lack of money Lily is then forced into situations where she herself is in danger, such as when Mr. Dorset invites Lily ...

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...Wharton and Fitzgerald to pay homage to the fight for a better life, even if it is lost in the end.

Works Cited

Balkun, Mary McAleer. The American Counterfeit: Authenticity And Identity In American Literature And Culture. Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press, 2006. Print.

Currell, Susan. American Culture in the 1920s. Edinburgh University Press, 2009. Print.

Fitzgerald, Francis S. "Babylon Revisited." 2012. Ed. Nina Baym. The Norton Anthology of American Literature. Vol. D. New York, NY: Norton, 2012. 675-89. Print.

Simons, Judy. “Edith Wharton, The House of Mirth.” The Review of English Studies 47.187 (Aug., 1996): 441-442. Print.

Vickery, John B. The Prose Elegy: An Exploration of Modern American and British Fiction. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 2009. Print.

Wharton, Edith. The House of Mirth. Mineola, NY: Dover, 2002. Print.