House of Mirth by Edith Wharton

“Lily was acutely aware of her own part in this drama of innuendo: she knew the exact quality of the amusement the situation evoked (Wharton, 80).”

                At the wedding, Lily notes the heckling and stares of her fellow comrades. Gryce proposed to another woman, and everyone gossips about comedy of the transient romance of Gryce and Lily only months before. Reminding me of Mean Girls, I equate Miss Lily Bart to Cady Heron. Both are beautiful and manipulated. The society transformed them into horrid creatures, which they do not aspire to become as they attempt to fit into the rich, popular life. Resulting from conformation to the social norms, they lose their benevolent essence.Other characters of The House of Mirth appear in the movie Mean Girls. The bright, shiny “Plastics” identify closely with the Dorsets, the Trenors, and the others in high society. The teacher Mrs. Norbury simulates Mrs. Peniston because both cripples the life of the protagonist. Mrs. Peniston disagreed to repay Lily’s debts, and Mrs. Norbury failed Cady and forced her to acquire extra credit through participating in the Math-letes. Finally, I regard Miss Grace to the girl who doesn’t even go to the school. Miss Grace was so hurt by not receiving an invitation once for a dinner party that she squealed to her aunt about Lily. In this regard, both just “have a lot of feelings.”