House of MirthThe novels, Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte, and House of Mirth, by EdithWharton, contain many similarities and differences of which I will discuss in this essay.The focus will be on the main characters of each book, Jane Eyre, and Lily Bart and willinclude important points and ideas demonstrated in these novels.To begin, Jane, from Charlotte Bronte’s novel, Jane Eyre, was an orphan who was raised by an upper-class family who resented her and did not want her, thereforetorturing, abusing, and treating her as someone at a status even lower than the servants.As a child, she knows that her status is awkward and even later on, as a grown woman,she is considered a second class citizen simply because of her sex. Further into thenovel, once she has become the governess at Thornfield, the social status put upon her is inferior to Rochester and others of high class. She is forced into this social standing despite the fact that she is expected to display the manners and education ofan upper-class woman. In comparison, Lily, of Wharton’s novel, House of Mirth, wasraised in a very prestigious, well-to-do family and grows up to be one of New York’s most eligible socialites. As an irresponsible, uncontrollable gambler, Lily tends not to worry, nor give her bad habit a second thought because she is under the impression that her “out of reach” way of life and her elite circle of friends will be her protection from the consequences that her actions may bring. However, the novel takes a turn and Lily’s compulsive gambling is discovered, resulting in being cut off financially by her family and being cast out by her peers. For the first time in her life, now poor and alone, she must find a job and a home in the lower-class slums of New York. And, although womenwithout money, in that era, did have jobs, Lily’s problem was that she was not willing togive up the glamorous life she was raised to l...
