Chapters 11-12 Book II

I could barely keep up with the ups and downs of these two chapters of Wharton's The House of Mirth.  After Lily got fired from her job as a secretary, I realized something.  Lily's parents, mostly her mother, had kind of set Lily up for failure later on in life.  Her mother instilled in Lily the unwavering confidence that her beauty alone would be her salvation.  All her life, Lily had been told to smile and please others, and she became accustomed to, from these actions, acquiring whatever she desired.  Her mother had never taught her that she needed to work for things she desired, if need be.  Lily "had been fashioned to adorn and delight" (Wharton, 245).  She knew how to be pretty.  She knew what to say and how to conduct herself in order to please others.  I think she has finally realized that, with her difficult circumstances, it might take MORE than a pretty smile to keep her afloat.  It broke my heart when Lily cried at Shelden's advice.  I wish so much that they could just trust their love and get married already.  But, seeing as I'm nearly to the end of the book, I don't see this story wrapping up with a happy ending.