The House of Mirth: Book 1: Chapter 1 Summary & Analysis

One busy Monday afternoon in intense September heat, Lawrence Selden sees his acquaintance Lily Bart in the middle of the crowd in New York’s Grand Central Station. Although he is struck by her beauty and admires her greatly, he also wonders about her aimless attitude, as she seems to be waiting for something mysterious. As much as he is glad to see her, he also feels that she causes in him a permanent sense of uncertainty, as he feels that all of her actions are the result of calculation.

Curious to figure out why Lily seems to be waiting in the train station, Selden greets her. Smiling beautifully, Lily thanks him for saving her, to which he replies that this will always be his mission in life. Lily then proceeds to explain that she is on her way to Bellomont, where their mutual friends Judy and Gus Trenor are organizing a party. Having just missed her train and waiting for the next one, while knowing that her aunt’s house is closed, Lily feels at a lost about what to do and asks Selden to take her somewhere less stuffy.

Feeling honored by such a proposal, since Selden is not used to spending time alone with Lily, he suggests going to a tea-house, but Lily fears meeting boring people there. Selden, who has the impression that Lily is deliberately making her speech both intimate and provocative, decides to call a hansom (horse-drawn carriage). However, feeling inspired by the fresh air, Lily decides that they should walk. During their walk, Selden silently admires Lily for looking superior to all the other people around her, taking pleasure in her physical closeness and the details of her body and dress. He wonders whether Lily is superior to other women only because of superficial additions to her figure, or whether—and this is his preferred hypothesis—her nature is truly unique, yet society has made her seem trivial.

When the sun comes out, Lily complains about the heat again but feels grateful for the trees planted on the street where they are walking. Selden then reveals that this is the street where he lives, and when Lily asks him if it is cooler in his apartment, he makes the bold move of asking her to come and see for herself. Lily blushes but accepts his offer, which she knows is a risk. To himself, Selden admires her for her spontaneity and feels deeply pleased to know that she accepted his offer without premeditation.

Once in the apartment, Lily finds it wonderful that Selden has the entire space for himself, and she criticizes the fact that women are not allowed the same luxury. When Selden replies that Gerty Farish has her own apartment, Lily considers the example irrelevant, since Gerty is not “marriageable” and has an unpleasant apartment. Suddenly remembering that Gerty is Selden’s cousin, Lily apologizes for her harsh words but concludes that, while Gerty is both free and “good,” Lily is not. Observing Lily, Selden feels that her bracelets make her seem trapped, a victim of her own society, forced to follow a fixed fate.

When Lily and Selden discuss the topic of personal apartments, Lily seizes this opportunity to ask him why he does not visit her more often at her aunt Mrs. Peniston’s house, despite the fact that they get along so well. Lily says that she truly does not know why Selden does not come more, noting that the only men who come are people who think she wants to marry them, but that that cannot possibly be Selden’s belief. Completely charmed and intrigued by Lily’s attitude, Selden then takes the risk of telling her that that might in fact be part of the reason he doesn’t visit more, but Lily laughs off his answer, saying it is stupid of him to try to seduce her.

Lily then confesses that she wants a true friend, someone who does not try to please her but will say the honest truth to her when she needs it. Everyone around her, she argues, only tries to use her for their own benefit, and does not actually care about her. When Lily complains that people are saying she should marry, Selden bluntly asks her why she doesn’t, invoking the fact that women like Lily are brought up for that very purpose. Lily sighs, making a cynical comment about the fact that she has nothing else to look forward to, and discusses the rich men she could have married earlier if she had seized the opportunity. As they mention one of her past suitors, Selden lightly comments that she can do better.

When Selden hands Lily a cigarette box, Lily grabs a cigarette. She lights her cigarette to his and Selden is moved by how smooth her face is. Lily then stands up to examine the room, appreciating the bookshelves with a pleasure less intellectual than sensuous. She interrogates Selden about his literary collections, asking him about Americana, but Selden says that Americana are only interesting as historical artifacts, not as actual reading material. They discuss the rarity and extraordinary price of Americana, as well as the famous Jefferson Gryce collection.

Despite the pleasure that Selden draws from being in Lily’s company, he cannot help but wonder what her hidden motives might be. When Lily turns to him with a smile that is both intimate and challenging, Lily asks him if he is disappointed not to be richer and to have to work for a living. Selden answers that he enjoys his job as a lawyer, although he admits he does sometimes wish he could travel more. Lily then provocatively asks if he would be ready to marry to do so, but Selden rejects this idea as preposterous.

Lily explains that this is the problem: men are free to choose whether or not they want to marry, whereas women are forced to. She describes the double standards affecting men and women’s behavior, as women must always be elegant and wear expensive clothing to be part of upper-class social circles, whereas men’s appearances do not matter as much. If women cannot afford this life on their own, they are forced to marry.

Amused by Lily’s arguments, Selden does not take her very seriously, and notes that she might find a husband at the Trenors’. Lily then mentions that many people will be there whom Selden knows, including the Dorsets, and she glances quickly at Selden to gauge his reaction. Unfazed, Selden replies that big parties bore him, and Lily admits that they also bore her. When Selden asks her why she goes to them, Lily argues that it is her duty, adding that she would be alone with her aunt otherwise. As the two of them laugh at how terrible that sounds, they share a surprising moment of intimacy.

Lily then notices it is getting late and leaves to catch her train. She makes Selden say goodbye to her at the door instead of taking her back to the station, since she knows that going up to his apartment alone was already very imprudent on her part. On her way out, she crosses an unpleasant cleaning lady and wonders if the  woman’s stare reflects her belief that Lily might be someone with whom Selden is having an affair. This causes Lily to blush suddenly, ashamed, and hurry off.

Once in the street, Lily runs into Simon Rosedale, an acquaintance she would have preferred to avoid. Mr. Rosedale takes pleasure in Lily’s embarrassment and, when he implies that Lily has just been up to Selden’s apartment, Lily invents an excuse about having been to her dress-maker’s. However, when Mr. Rosedale reveals that he is the owner of the Benedick, where Selden lives, Lily feels even more embarrassed and quickly hails a hansom instead of letting Mr. Rosedale take her back to the train station.