Edith Wharton's The House of Mirth creates a subtle, ironic, and superbly crafted picture of the social workings of turn-of-the-century New York. In its stark expression of community, it manages to portray a world of calculation that operates under the guise of politeness. Characters become competitors in the extremely complex game of social positioning with an amorphous body of socially formed laws. Through her presentation of Lily Barton's ongoing struggles to "regain her equilibrium, each time on a slightly lower level" in this game of skill, Wharton forces her audience to question this social order (272). Lily's fate gives way to a satirical commentary on how a social order governed by conventions, sanctions, beliefs, and customs can crush its individual members while transforming into a force greater than its set of participants. Wharton's dark depiction of this environment reveals a system of exchange in which transactions are made only to further one's self-interest. What shapes this perception are the relationships between men and women; as Lily explains to Selden, women must form "partnerships" (14) to strategically improve their position in the welfare regime. Lily must use her beauty and charm to entice a mate with the monetary power that will allow her to solidify her place in the upper circle. Compatibility beyond the advantages of union in the social scheme is of little importance, explaining Lily's attempts to get Percy Gryce "to do the honor of boring her for life" (29). With similar motivations, Simon Rosedale offers Lily full financial support in exchange for the social savoir-faire to enter New York high society. Lily recognizes Rosedale's "little eyes that make a point," which [make her] feel like herself... in the center of the card... a man visiting a bachelor's residence (9). The Problem of Evaluating Lily Through Structure One of her decisions is the fact that, until the end, Lily still clings to the material comforts this world provides. It can also be hypothesized that her life ended because she failed to survive in a world where economic wealth has been replaced. from spiritual riches. Works Cited and Consulted: Restuccia, FL "The Name of the Lily: The Feminism of Edith Wharton." Bedford Books, 1994, 404-418. Robinson, L. S. "Trafficking in Women: A Cultural Critique of the House of Mirth." , Bedford Books, 1994, 340-58. Wharton, E. The House of Mirth New York, Bedford Books, 1994.