The House of Mirth
The central theme of "The House of Mirth" is essentially "the struggle between who we are and what society tells us we should be". Thus, it is considered by many to be as relevant today as it was in 1905. If its sole subject had been the excesses and lives of the rich and famous, by themselves, it is doubtful it would have remained popular for as long as it has. "The House of Mirth" continues to attract readers over a century after its first publication, possibly due to its timeless theme. That the life and death of Lily Bart matters to modern readers suggests that Wharton succeeded in her purpose: to critique "a society so relentlessly materialistic and self-serving that it casually destroys what is most beautiful and blameless within it."
List of recurring The Simpsons characters
Bleeding Gums Murphy Hibbert (voiced by Ron Taylor and Daryl L. Coley) is a jazz musician, idol, and mentor of Lisa Simpson. His real first name has never been mentioned; Murphy claimed his nickname came from the fact he had never once been to a dentist. His significant roles were in the episodes "Moaning Lisa" and "'Round Springfield", although he appears in other episodes such as "Bart the Daredevil" (where he is yellow), "Dancin' Homer", "Old Money", "Flaming Moe's", "Bart Gets an "F"", "Radio Bart", and "Lisa's Pony". In "Dancin' Homer", he was voiced by Daryl L. Coley. In "'Round Springfield", it is revealed that at one point he had enjoyed a fairly successful career, releasing an album ("Sax on the Beach") and appearing on Steve Allen's "The Tonight Show", as well as one of the Cosby children's four grandfathers on an episode of "The Cosby Show"; but quickly lost his money feeding his $1500-a-day habit of purchasing and smashing Fabergé eggs. He taught Lisa to display her emotions through music, prompting Lisa to hold him as an important figure in her life. His last appearance was in "'Round Springfield", when, after Bart ends up in the hospital, Lisa wanders off to find Murphy dying in a nearby ward. He explains about his life, family, and work to her, as well as giving her advice for her upcoming school performance, giving her his saxophone. When Lisa returns, she finds out that Murphy has died from circumstances which are never revealed. No one, except for Lisa, attends Murphy's funeral. Lisa realizes that despite being gone physically, he still is alive in her. It is strongly hinted that Murphy and Doctor Hibbert are long-lost brothers, most notably by Murphy's quote: "I don't really have a family. All I had was a little brother who grew up to become a doctor. He used to laugh at the most inappropriate times." Hibbert laughs inappropriately (as he always does) and says, "Hey, I've got an older brother that I'll never see. He's a jazz musician or some such. Oh well, bye, bye." Bleeding Gums Murphy is loosely based on Blind Willie Johnson, at whose feet the young Bleeding Gums character learned. The voice of Bleeding Gums Murphy was provided by Ron Taylor, while his saxophone playing is provided by Dan Higgins. As a sign of respect for the character, Murphy has been a fixture of the extended opening sequence of "The Simpsons" since the second season. Originally, even after his death, Bart would skateboard past him on the street. In "The Great Wife Hope", Murphy is mentioned and supposedly, according to Carl, he is still alive, after Homer asks Carl if he knows Drederick Tatum. Carl takes offense, saying that just because he is African-American, he does not know every other African American in Springfield, of whom there are very few, anyway. Carl then says that he met Drederick Tatum while he was at a party with Dr. Hibbert at Murphy's house.