“The misery, the crudeness of this middle part of womanhood made her feel how highly specialized she was” (Wharton 6). In House of Mirth, the main character Lily Bart spends her entire life trying to escape this idea of ​​misery. In her quest to maintain society's approval, she denies her true identity as well as any hope of ever finding true love and is ultimately "erased" by that society (Ammons 348). Early in the novel, Wharton reveals Seldon's thoughts. towards Lily Bart. “He was aware that the qualities which distinguished her from the herd of her sex were mainly external: as if a fine varnish of beauty and thoroughness had been applied to common clay” (Wharton 7). Wharton builds this physical attraction between Seldon and Lily Bart. letting readers into the mind of Seldon and the delicate actions of Lily Bart. Seldon “liked Lily Bart; and his course was so far from his orbit that it amused him to be drawn for a moment into the sudden intimacy implied by his proposition” (Wharton 6). Lily's delicate approach coupled with her suggestive words towards Seldon reveals Lily's true feelings towards Seldon. "I'm dying for tea---but isn't there somewhere quieter?" (Wharton 6). Lily manages to protect her privacy, with Seldon avoiding as much attention as possible. Even the insinuation that Seldon and Lily are a couple would be particularly detrimental to his social status. When she was surprised by Mr. Rosedale's appearance, she naturally lied, only later realizing the true effect of "giving in to a passing impulse" (Wharton 15). Her mistake “would cost her far more than she could afford” (Wharton 15). Lily Bart lived in a society where the slightest mistake could lead to serious social consequences... middle of paper ...... true love for Seldon is felt but never expressed verbally. “In the silence there was speech between them that made everything clear” (Wharton 256). She spends most of her life running away from the idea of ​​loving Seldon even though inside she cared deeply for him. In conclusion, Seldon's love drew him to Lily: It was this moment of love, this fleeting victory over themselves, that had kept them from withering and dying away; who, in her, had strained him in every struggle against the influence of his environment, and in her, had strained him in every struggle against the influence of his environment, and in him, had kept alive the faith which now Drew the penitent and reconciled to his side (Wharton 255-56). Lily struggled with the demands of society, but in the process she robbed herself of true love and, ultimately, her own identity..