The House of Mirth
(Rated: PG, Columbia Tri-Star, 2000)
Available on VHS and DVD

"How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the Kingdom of God! Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God. Those who heard it said, 'Then who can be saved?'" (Luke 18:24b-26, NRSV)

One can only speculate whether or not Edith Wharton considered these words from the gospel when she published The House of Mirth in 1905, but the odds are she did. Evidence in favor of this conjecture lies in the fact that the title of the book is drawn from Ecclesiastes 7:4: "The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth." In many ways, The House of Mirth is a genre parable rivaling the rich young ruler, the dishonest steward, the parable of the talents, and the undisguised "woes" of the sermon on the plain in its messages for both rich and poor. However, Edith Wharton's genius is that she never reduces human beings to mere caricatures — they are never simply good or bad, right or wrong, virtuous or evil. This striking power leaps wondrously from the printed page to Terence Davies film starring Gillian Anderson in the lead role as Lily Bart.

The story is a complex journey of the fall from society of a young woman whose naiveté and assumption that everything she has is hers by birthright — and therefore cannot be taken away — blinds her to her plight. Lily Bart is a contradictory mass of values and emotions — she is shallow, yet loyal; superficial, yet caring; naïve, yet cunning; attractive, yet repellant. Her greed is counterbalanced by a great generosity. Her ambition is forever tempered by integrity. Lily Bart has crafted for herself a unique and defiant moral code. In short, Lily Bart is a real human being.

Set in New York shortly following the turn of the twentieth century, The House of Mirth depicts the lifestyle that gave rise a generation later to the Jay Gatsbys of literature, film, and the Long Island Sound. It is a story of society — and society people — partying, vacationing, wining and dining, shopping and week-ending, as if the work-a-day grind is fantasy and leisure is the way of the world. Decadence, deceit, ambition, power, and position are the defining values of this "in-crowd." Lily Bart is a woman cast from this mold, and she revels in the luxury of the lifestyle. Moving quickly toward middle age, Lily realizes that her future depends upon making a sensible choice of husband. Her true first choice is Lawrence Selden (played by Eric Stoltz), who sadly possesses neither the wealth nor the ambition to make Lily's efforts worthwhile. Unfortunately, all the men of wealth and power fail to meet other of Lily's exacting standards. Better, she feels, to be a successful single woman, than to be yoked forever to the wrong man. But the world is full of wrong men, and many of them are attached to petty women. The petty women in The House of Mirth delight in contributing to the downfall and disgrace of Lily Bart. Even though Lily holds the means within her hands to restore her name in society, she is unable to stoop to the level of those who betray her. Wharton tantalizes readers and viewers with a soul designed for redemption, but that, sadly, is not to be. As Lily, from her own unique worldview and sense of right and wrong, balances the scales of justice, she is unable to cope with a life of poverty, outcast from society. Wharton owns that the overdose of sleeping draught might be a mistake; the film leaves no doubt. Lily opts for suicide rather than ostracism.

This is a wonderful film to watch with a group of people. The discussion that follows will be lively and provocative. Lily Bart personifies the woes Jesus proclaimed in Luke 6:24-25; yet she also bears a striking resemblance to the man from Nazareth who later stands before Pontius Pilate. Lily Bart is both the rich and the poor, the mighty and the meek, the queen and the leper, the manipulator and the martyr. Lily is a painful example that our choices have implications, and bad choices yield bad results; and sometimes, even when we make good choices, life still isn't fair.

Ultimately, The House of Mirth is a story about conflicting values. It is a story about living with the decisions we make. It is a tale of loneliness when we find out who our friends really are and who they are not. It is a parable about seeking meaning in life and waking up to the fact that even death is preferable to living without purpose. It is a story of tragedy that need not happen, but often does.

What was true one hundred years ago is true today: there is more to life than a good time. A person of integrity will become just another victim when he or she is forced to stand alone. But what might happen if those people don&339;t have to face the harsh realities of life alone? What happens when the higher values of the kingdom of God are shared by others who struggle to find meaning and purpose? Perhaps those people might find one another, support and sustain one another, and determine to live another way. Perhaps we might call those people "church."

Questions for Reflection

1. How would you characterize the prevailing values of Lily's social circle? In what ways does Lily fit with this crowd? In what ways is Lily at odds with her social sphere?
2. What biblical characters and stories come to mind as you watch The House of Mirth? Speculate on what words of wisdom Jesus and the Twelve might have offered to Lily and her friends. What is the "good news" that the characters in this film most need to hear?
3. What are some of the values that prove most destructive in The House of Mirth? How do we witness people living out these values in our own day?
4. What factors drive Lily to suicide? Why do you believe Lily chose suicide rather than creating a new life?
5. What does our church fellowship have to offer the Lily Barts in our community? the Lawrence Seldens? How do we reach out to people who hold worldly values but need the gifts of grace and redemption nonetheless?

Dan R. Dick is a former staff member of the General Board of Discipleship.

Copyright © 2001 The United Methodist General Board of Discipleship, P. O. Box 340003, Nashville TN 37203-0003; telephone: (615) 340-7079; Congregational Leaders Web Site http://www.gbod.org/congregational/default.asp. All rights reserved. You may reproduce this article in its entirety for nonprofit use with the inclusion of this complete copyright notice.

Posted 6-14-01


    Text Only Version