Written in 1905, this is a delightful, yet, on some level, tragic story about the vacuousness
of American high society at the turn of the nineteenth century.
Comedy abounds in the subtle descriptions of people and situations
where money, social reputation and material possessions are the gauge
by which everything is measured. Against this background, Lily -
orphaned and disinherited - attempts to do everything in her power to
be perceived as 'belonging' while Lawrence Seldon (already part of the circle to which she wants
to belong) attempts, without over-straining himself, to make her realize that she should be
focusing on higher goals even if such a focus may be equated with a
less grand lifestyle. Lily has no father to support her financially
and no mother to give her advice; she is at the mercy of so-called
friends, many of whom - particularly the males - have no scruples in
using her innocence and naivety to further their own ends. The women,
all climbing the social ladder, are also prepared to use her in
whatever way that might propel them further in the direction of
social acceptance. Lily makes many mistakes as she stumbles from one
difficult situation to the next, and, it becomes evident that those
who are sincerely concerned for her are her impoverished friend Gerty
and a couple of women from the working class; the upper class that
she so strives to be part of, is really not interested.
