Irony is common in realist novels that reveal the fall and/or rise of characters among other aspects. It is mostly shown at the end, which is usually tragic but tells readers the fate of the characters. Realist novels have plausible, cause-and-effect events in their stories: what the characters desire and the consequences they receive because of it. The realism in the novel, The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton, was clearly shown through the character of Lily Bart with her ironic ending which saw both her fall and rise as a character. She was known for her beauty in the novel; he made various mistakes in the process of accessing high social status. Her physical beauty was not enough to establish herself in society if her name was not included in the social classes. Her character's weaknesses and strengths were shown through her goal of achieving a place in the social hierarchy and her relationship with Lawrence Selden. Lily's tragic death ultimately revealed more about her character and the strength of her relationship with Selden. The ending of The House of Mirth has an ironic combination of rise and fall for Lily Bart. She failed in the literal sense because she died and did not physically marry a member of the upper class. However, she managed to pay off her debts to Gus Trenor with her aunt's inheritance. Being able to pay off her debts meant more than just getting rid of financial burdens for Lily's character. In the end she managed to redeem herself: she acquired morality through death. He had the opportunity to blackmail Bertha with Bertha's letters to Selden about their affairs. The letters would have saved her financial troubles, since George Dorset had offered to marry her, but she decided not to follow... half of the paper... characters. It has no chaos, but order and conveys life as it is through the plot. There is also this essence of the expression that everything in the novel happens for a reason. The realism in Edith Wharton's The House of Mirth revealed the fate of Lily Bart, her death. Irony showed the truth about her character in the end when her financial clout was gone, and so was she. She has had ups and downs as a character trying to establish herself in the world of the elite and her roller coaster relationship with Selden. Even with her redemption, what she wanted cost her her life and love without a perfect ending. The goals she had set for herself, marriage and wealth, were not achieved but she left the world debt-free. Her only two options in the entire novel were marriage or death, and since it is a realist novel, it was not unusual to end with an unfortunate event..