Edith Wharton
So, reading the first couple chapters of the novel, I suppose I misinterpreted Lily's intentions toward Mr. Gryce. She does want to marry him and is "afraid of losing her newly-acquired hold" over him (Wharton, page 19). However, she seems pretty confident in her ability to cope with his extreme boringness and quickly win him over with her "fresh compliances and adaptability" (Wharton, page 19). Although she does not really think about Mr. Selden much in this chapter, I still think that Lily likes him and wishes they could somehow be together.
An important aspect of Lily's desires and decisions is society and its corresponding expectations of a woman in her position. In the early 1900's, young, prominent women of society were expected to marry men of good financial standings so that they could maintain their lives of luxury. Although Lily's family never really had much money when she was growing up, her mother always managed the money in a way that would allow them to appear wealthier than they really were and look fancy and appropriate for society. Through brief anecdotes of Lily's childhood, Edith Wharton explains Lily's background and why she is accustomed to the life she has. This passage also explains why she is so intent on marrying someone wealthy...Percy Gryce.
The setting of The House of Mirth is one of the most important factors that, I think, will affect the outcome of the novel. Society had created the model image of a woman and her family, and Lily felt that she could never deviate from that illustration--and marry Mr. Selden. Society is the reason that Lily feels she must abandon love and find a wealthier husband who will support her and let her live with the extravagance she was accustomed to.
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