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 Home and Away characters (2001)
Lily returns with Will to visit Irene Roberts (Lynne McGranger) and she is happy to see them. Will reveals the reason for this visit; his marriage to Gypsy has broken down following his infidelity with another woman. When Will's reconciliation with Gypsy fails, he trashes the Beach House, to Lily's fright. Lily meets VJ Patterson (Felix Dean), who was born on the same day as her and they make a plan to run away to see Elijah Johnson (Jay Laga'aia) in Africa. Along the way to the airport they are picked up by hitch-hiker Gary (Keith Agus) who gives them a lift but they get frightened when he suggests they go to his house first and run away. VJ and Lily are found by detectives Robert Robertson (Socrattis Otto) and Detective Graves (Eryn-Jean Norvill) and return to their respective parents Leah Patterson-Baker (Ada Nicodemou) and Will. Lily falls ill and Will takes her away from the bay but Irene encourages him to bring her back. Lily falls sicker and Will tells Irene to look after her but is arrested before he can get away. When Will is revealed as Penn Graham's (Christian Clark) killer, he is remanded in custody and Lily is returned to Gypsy.