The Power of Upbringing; Aspiring to Emerge from the Embedded Ideologies of Childhood


In The House of Mirth, Wharton illustrates the profound significance of upbringing through Lily Bart. As a major influence in her life, Lily's mother molded her to possess the delicacy of the upper class. Many years later, she desperately seeks retreat from her fears of insecurity, while surviving on the fringe of society. As she is looking into the mirror, Lily has a flashback on her childhood; she recalls her mother's insistence that her "pale" beauty will enable her to rise from the poverty of the middle class that they had fallen into. In one sense, Lily's upbringing can be perceived as the driving force that will lead to success in her life: her mother enhances her marriage prospects by fostering within her a delicate nature and teaching her to take advantage of her beauty. This interpretation seems valid, but a close reading of the text reveals that Wharton constructs Lily Bart as an overly delicate character, in order to illustrate that her upbringing will unavoidably lead to her ruin. By portraying Lily's fall as a result of her childhood, Wharton reveals the limitations of the upper class upbringing. Through stream of consciousness, Wharton reveals that Lily is trapped by the dictates of her upbringing, bound to one day "break". Influential writers like F. Scott Fitzgerald observed the power and dangers of the upper class upbringing at the turn of the century. The Great Gatsby enforces my interpretation of Lily's upper class upbringing as a dominant cause of her fall, through Gatsby.
Immersed in upper-class society until 19 years of age, Lily Bart's upbringing has ingrained within her a hate of poverty and a desire to have nothing less than the best of everything. When looking into the mirror, Lily remembers the sheltered, lavish lifestyle in which she lived as "grey interludes of economy and brilliant reactions of expense", in which "no one ever dined at home unless there was 'company'; a door-bell perpetually ringing" (Wharton 47). One reading of the text could be that Lily is destined to return to the upper class society, as she was brought up in the system, with the looks and the tastes. N.D. Nikandrov explains these tendencies: "it is desirable for the goals of upbringing to be in accord with the system of values that is actually functioning in society" (par. 25). Her mother's insistence that she rises to the top, utilizing her delicacy to exhibit her beauty, would thus become a foreshadowing of Lily's fate: "But you'll get it all back- you'll get it all back with your face" (Wharton 47). It can be inferred that such a lavishly sheltered childhood imparted upon her the delicacy that was required for marriage in the upper class. Such delicacy, along with her beauty, can be interpreted as the vital advantage that Lily possesses, as marriage was essentially the only means by which a woman in Lily's economic position could ascend to upper class society in this era. Her mother stressed the importance of utilizing her beauty, through delicacy, to marry into wealth: "[Her mother] followed in imagination the career of other beauties, pointing out to her daughter what might be achieved through such a gift, and dwelling on the awful warning of those who, in spite of it, had failed to get what they wanted" (Wharton 52). Taught by her mother that the only way for a poor but pretty girl like her to get money is to marry it, Lily is designed to ascend to the upper class. Furthermore, Lily was brought up with the notion that marriage is merely an agreement: "[her mother] inveighed so acrimoniously against love-matches that Lily would have fancied her own marriage had been of that nature, had not Mrs. Bart frequently assured her that she had been 'talked into it'" (Wharton 52). It can be perceived that Lily's upbringing is the reason she will not be able to avoid marrying for wealth, as she sees it as the only means of success in life.   
While it can be perceived that her delicate upbringing will prepare her to marry into the upper class, in the end, it becomes her ruin. Being immersed in a system that functions by greed and conceit, Lily's entire sheltered upbringing is in tune with this attitude of money or death. Her delicacy can thus embody one-dimensional superficiality. This is evident as Lily voices her financial frustrations to her friend, saying, "Oh, Gerty, I wasn't meant to be good" (Wharton 249). Her definition of good is merely wealth and a high-standing position in the upper class. This is also evident when Wharton allows the reader into Lily's train of thought: "To a less illuminated intelligence Mrs. Bart's counsels might have been dangerous; but Lily understood that beauty is only the raw material of conquest, and that to convert it into success other arts are required" (Wharton 52). Through such stream of consciousness, Wharton allows the reader into Lily's frame of mind to illustrate how the delicacy of her childhood has shaped her ethical principals. Through this literary strategy, the reader is able to understand how Lily is rationalizing, and how that leads to her downfall. Wharton is condemning the social attitudes that become ingrained within individuals in their upbringing, as Lily's upbringing equipped her with no trade except marriage. Ironically, the delicacy that her mother instilled in her became her downfall, as it became her vulnerability. Mrs. Peniston, who took Lily in, had: "expected to find Lily headstrong, critical and "foreign"…but the girl showed a pliancy", and observes that "Misfortune had made Lily supple instead of hardening her, and a pliable substance is less easy to break than a stiff one" (Wharton 54).  Lily is trapped by the dictates of her upbringing and expectations of the times; her inability to be independent makes her a victim of her upbringing, destined to one day "break". Wharton employs Lily Bart's delicacy in order to condemn the upper-class upbringing.
In correlation with Edith Wharton's social critique, influential writers like F. Scott Fitzgerald also observed the power and dangers of the upper class upbringing at the turn of the century. Similarly compelling, to the extent that the novel has become a key voice of its time, The Great Gatsby enforces my interpretation of Lily's upper class upbringing as a dominant cause of her downfall. Similarly, both Lily and Gatsby are struggling to transcend their social status, steeped in the notions of their upbringing. Jay Gatsby is described as having "committed himself to the following of a grail" (Fitzgerald 142). Comparable to Lily's fall, Gatsby fails to achieve his "incorruptible dream"(Fitzgerald 147). Both characters meet tragic ends, as a result of the ideologies they possess that are ingrained in them as a result of their upbringing. In context of their time, both novels illustrate the dangers of the upper class upbringing at the turn of the century, as both characters are unable to escape their upbringing; in their attempt, it ironically becomes their ruin. Both novels strengthen one another, as both serve as powerful critiques of the upper class upbringing at the turn of the century.
In House of Mirth, the only escape from her fears of insecurity that Lily can fathom, is marrying into the upper class. In one sense, Lily's upbringing can be perceived as leading to her success in life, as her mother fosters within her a delicacy that makes her marriageable. She is able to use her beauty and delicacy to attract men for marriage, and with that, wealth. However, conditioned by her upbringing, Lily's utmost delicacy becomes the cause of her unavoidable downfall; she is a slave to the social demands of the upper-class circles. Wharton employs stream of consciousness to illustrate the effect that Lily's upper-class upbringing had on her. Although the horrors of upbringing are apparent in the two novels, they can contrastingly illustrate the positive effect that it can have on an individual as well.
Dear Professor Jackson, 
            I have drawn the conclusion that my reading of House of Mirth could fall under the Marxist theory. In correlation to the issue of upbringing, this particular current critical school is able to perform identifiable work in context to the societal system in which Lily exists, or fails to exist in. Marxist theory is capable of supporting Wharton's reflection on the difficulties of upbringing in upper class society at the turn of the century. This literary theory provides insight into this predominant ideology of the power of upbringing, and supports the grounds by which Lily's upbringing became her downfall. The fact that the outcome of her upbringing can be seen as leading to her success in life, while also being the obvious origin of her downfall, illustrates the question of the influence of upbringing that was up in the air at the turn of the century. Through this tragedy, Wharton is providing a powerful answer to this question.
I think that Wharton's argument can also be perceived as Marxist in that it observes a superstructure in terms of the base from which it sprung: The House of Mirth, a work of fiction, is seen within terms of the societal system in which it emerged. Wharton constructs Lily Bart as your typical, everyday upper class individual, who is entangled in a myriad of social forces, as a result of her economic standing. As a product of the times in which it was written, this novel becomes an embodiment of the dilemma of the upper class ideologies, and the power that upbringing can have upon the individual; it can make or break you.
            In addition, as Ross C Murfin indicates, The House of Mirth is supported by Marxist theory, as it "Sees within the world of the work a network of private affairs and social institutions that are themselves, at base, manifestations of the…system" (371). The home, or one's childhood can become a reflection of the society that it dwells within. As a child, the home that Lily grew up in can signify the social system that exists outside her front door. The place that Lily's father held within the family, as solely the bread-winner, can represent the notions of man's place in the world. Similarly, the responsibilities Lily's mother held, as the manager of the house, can symbolize the role of woman in the era. One can take it as far as to say that the power that Lily's parents had over her, juxtaposed with the inferiority that the servants had to her, can embody the societal class system. Thus, Marxist theory provides insight into how Lily became a victim of her upbringing, being immersed in this small-scale system until the age of 19, at which point, she stepped into the larger scale of the same system. In my opinion, Wharton's The House of Mirth can be seen as supported by Marxist theory, as it reveals the bitter realities of upper-class society in its grim reality, and sees through the myth of success in life as a cause of the upper class upbringing.

 I would then like to pose the question, how does can The House of Mirth, supported by Marxist theory, serve as "equipment for living"? In the end, what I have drawn from this interpretation and perspective, is the significance that upbringing can have upon the individual. In contrast, I am dually impressed by the power that Lily possessed to arise from the notions that were imbedded in her mind; I feel that she could have potentially taken charge of her opportunities. Furthermore, if upbringing is so powerful, it can be for good as well. Each and every one of us has the power within ourselves to be so much more. We must arise, taking what we can from the useful experiences and lessons we have learned from our childhood.


© 2008 by Secret Life of Daydreams. All rights reserved.

Works Cited

Wharton, Edit. House of Mirth. Ed. Shari Benstock. Boston: Bedford-St. Martin's, 1994. 25-305.
Murfin, Ross C. "Marxist Criticism and The House of Mirth." Ed. Shari Benstock. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 1994. 359-374.
Dimock, Wai-Chee. "Debasing Exchange: Edith Wharton's The House of Mirth."  Ed. Shari Benstock. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 1994. 375-390.
Nikandrov, N.D. "Values as the basis of the goals of upbringing." Russian Social Science Review. May/June 1999. V.40. No 3. 66-81.
Fitzgerald, F. Scott. "The Great Gatsby." Scribner's Magazine. Ed. Matthew J. Bruccoli. New York: Harcourt, 1978. 

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