The circle of people at the tea table in the last few
paragraphs of Chapter Four provides a good example of Wharton's
symbolism. The literal circle formed by the women at the tea table
figuratively represents the social circle Lily is so eager to join.
She does not sit with the ladies (although she believes she could),
thinking instead about her impending marriage to Gryce, which she
believes is inevitable. She believes that after marrying Gryce,
she will secure income and social status, her two most desired commodities.
Ironically, she delays joining the circle of tea drinkers, thinking
she will have many other chances to do so. When her hopes are shattered
at the end of Chapter Eight with the announcement of Gryce's engagement
to Evie Van Osburgh, Wharton suggests that the New York social world
is so exclusive and demanding that one can never be assured a place
in its circle.
Indeed, one of the themes in the novel is that the social
situation of an unmarried woman in New York at this time is very
fragile and variable. In the course of three days at the Bellomont,
Lily goes from a fear of her social and economical insecurity to
an arrogance that comes with the false assumption that she can marry
Gryce. This changes entirely the way she views her prospects: "Life
was not the mockery she had thought it three days ago"; it is almost
absurd that someone's outlook on life could change so drastically
and suddenly, and so we must question the merit of Lily's emphasis
on the importance of fitting in. We see that Lily's perception of
herself is based on her social status, which is why she is so committed
to becoming accepted even if it means marrying someone she does
not love. The narrator even suggests that Lily "was inwardly as
malleable as wax." The premise is that as long as Lily remains unmarried,
her social position will fluctuate wildly, depending on her current
financial status.
Overall, this section emphasizes Lily's indecisive nature.
At dinner, Lily's comparison between Gryce and Selden reveals that
she really loves Selden more than Gryce. She also sees the Selden
is detached from the elite social world; he is described as an "outside observer"
looking on. We begin to understand that Lily cannot and will not
marry Selden, even though he is the better man, because he does
not have enough money or connections. The great irony of the novel
is that Selden is the only man whom Lily really loves and respects.
At the end of Chapter Six, Lily and Selden come very close to confessing
to one another their feelings, which are clear by this point. When
they hear a car engine—a symbol of the society they have left—Lily
is pulled away from confessing her true feelings because she is
so determined to be an established member of society.
One should notice in this section Wharton's use of nature
to convey the emotions felt by her characters. In Chapters Five
and Six, the weather is described as "perfect," and Lily is even
able to sense an appropriate connection between the nice weather
and the pleasant walk she is to have with Selden. Wharton makes
use of this throughout the novel; it will come up again in several
scenes to give the reader a clue to the nature of the events which
will follow. For instance, at the end of the novel, as Lily sets
out to find Selden, the gray sky and pouring rain reflects her downtrodden,
hopeless mood. The next day, the beautiful sunshine and warm air
reflect Selden's joy as he sets out to propose to Lily.
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