The House of Mirth (Blog 10)

By: Edith Wharton

At the end of this chapter, Bertha Dorset says that
she will not allow Lily to return to the yacht that they
have been traveling on.  I am curious to find out
what Lily will do now.

After having just finished reading chapter 3, I feel like there is a lot to take in.  I read this chapter rather slowly just because I kept getting confused and having to go back and re-read.  However, now that I understand the chapter, I wanted to talk about the role that Bertha Dorset has taken.  Throughout the entire book, Bertha has shown hatred and jealousy towards Lily Bart.  Lily's natural, radiant beauty has been the main source of jealousy for Mrs. Dorset.  This was first exhibited in her angry reaction to Lily and Selden's relationship earlier in the novel.  Now, she shows it on the Mediterranean cruise.  When Bertha said that Lily was not allowed to return to the ship, I was completely shocked.  I find it interesting that Bertha had the nerve to kick Lily off of the Sabrina.  Bertha invited Lily on the cruise because she wanted Lily to keep George Dorset (Bertha's husband) occupied while she had an affair with Ned Silverton.  Lily and George did not even have an affair, regardless of the rumors that were spread.  I think that Bertha was probably jealous that Lily was spending time with her husband while she was off with Ned.  I really don't see how Lily did anything wrong, though.  It is unfair to leave her alone with nowhere to go, and Lily is very embarrassed about the scene that Bertha caused.  Luckily, Selden helps Lily find a place to stay for the night after she is kicked off the yacht.  He proves to still be a reliable friend for Lily, even now while their relationship is kind of in a weird place.  I hope that Lily will realize that deep down she loves Selden, and I hope that they can maybe get married in the future after all!  Overall, this chapter was pretty shocking to me.  In chapter 4, we learn Bertha's real motives.  She apparently told Geroge that Lily was trying to marry him.  As it turns out, Bertha made this up so that her husband would think she was jealous of Lily spending time with him.  I think that Bertha probably did this out of guilt from her affair with Ned, and I think the guilt was a result of George's mental breakdown earlier that day.  I am starting to wonder if the letters that Bertha wrote to Selden are going to show up again.  I feel like Lily is going to use them as some form of black mail for revenge on Bertha.  I actually am excited to continue reading to find out what's going to happen to Lily!