Perhaps the final question is whether or not Lily's death
ties up all the loopholes or only opens new ones. The question will
ever remain of what would have happened to Lily if she survived.
One thing to keep in mind is the remarkable role of luck in the
novel. Throughout Book Two, Lily has been through one long, particularly
unlucky spell; sooner or later, the odds of that would have to change.
Also, because Lily dies only hours before Selden arrives to propose
marriage, what would have happened to her if she had survived and married
Selden? Selden is particularly confused by her check to Trenor.
One of the most peculiar aspects of the novel is why Lily felt so
unerringly bound to repay Trenor when she could just as easily have
forgotten all about her debt without consequence. Had Lily taken
the estate check and begun a new life altogether, she would have
been off to a great start. This is one fact that confuses Selden
at the end of the novel.
It is important to keep in mind that there are no definitively
right or wrong answers to any of the ambiguities raised in the last
chapters of the novel. Wharton's intention is clearly to leave a
number of loose ends for the reader to interpret; this is what makes
reading fun, and this is one of the reasons why The House
of Mirth is considered an American classic.
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