Lily as the goddess Diana in The House of Mirth One of the tragedies in The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton is that Lily Bart is unable to marry Laurence Selden and thus secure a secure position in society. Their relationship swings from casual intimacy to total love depending on how and where Selden perceives Lily. Selden sees a beautiful quality in Lily Bart that is not present in any of the other women in the novel. This mysterious beauty so often alluded to, as well as her attraction to other men, is best understood when Lily is conceived of as the goddess Diana. As Diana, Lily Bart hunts for the perfect husband but cannot marry, remains separated from the "seedy" of society, and is ultimately crushed by a ruthless rejection that can even destroy a goddess. Diana, the goddess of the hunt and virginity, perfectly combines the traits that Lily Bart exhibits. Although never explicitly linked to the goddess, Wharton's first description of Lily emphasizes her "wild grace" and "sylvan freedom": "She stood before the mantelpiece, studying herself in the mirror as she adjusted her veil The attitude revealed the long slope of her slender hips, which gave her profile a kind of wild grace, as if she were a dryad captured and subjected to the conventions of the drawing room, and Selden reflected that it was the same sylvan freedom; in its nature which gave so much flavor to its artificiality" (15). Not only does the description recall the image of Diana, but also the name of Lily. Lily of the valley is Diana's flower. Lily Bart later chooses to wear a simple white dress for her part in Reynolds' painting, thus choosing Diana's color. ...... middle of paper ...... Wharton plays Lily's downfall brilliantly. Selden's unfulfilled love for Lily Bart hinges on his awareness that it is her Diana-like qualities that set her apart; yet it is this same distinct quality that will bring about its demise. Lily's inability to resurrect her reputation and use the letters against Bertha Dorset is intimately linked to her inability to marry; her pattern of running away from every man who proposes marriage plunges her into a downward spiral from which she cannot recover. It is not morality, but rather her qualities as a virgin goddess that ultimately doom her. By transforming Lily into a form of Diana, Wharton is able to condemn her society even more fiercely. It shows us that the society Lily lives in has the ability to destroy even a goddess. Works Cited Wharton, Edith. The House of Joy. Classic with seal: New York. 1964.