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Lawrence Selden In Edith Wharton's House Of Mirth

484 Words2 Pages

Lawrence Selden, one of many characters in Edith Wharton’s House of Mirth, is a hero throughout the novel because of his admirable detachment from the New York City social scene even though he knew that meant he could not be with Lily. Despite the fact that Lily and Selden were never able to settle down together and live happily-ever-after, Wharton gives the readers some solace in the last three paragraphs: The “moment of love” between Selden and Lily “had kept them from atrophy and extinction. Wharton’s tone and careful word choice in these last three paragraphs should leave the reader with some sort of comfort regarding the relationship between Lawrence Selden and Lily Bart.
The positive tone in these last three paragraphs and Lily’s opinion

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