The People of Bellomont

While reading chapter 5 of The House of Mirth, I realized that Lily's friends at Bellomont represent her ambitions and desires.  In a rare change of opinion about halfway through the chapter, Lily realizes "Then they had symbolized what she was gaining, now they stood for what she was giving up."  I believe that this discovery is very much true.  The people of Bellomont, in their carefree, simple, and expensive lifestyle represent the life that Lily desires.  She wants to marry a rich man so that she can share in this lifestyle.  However, being with these people does not make her happy, and ultimately this lifestyle would not make her happy either.  The only character at Bellomont who differs from this pattern is Selden.  Although he is still a symbol of an aspect of Lily's desire, he is not a symbol of desire of money, but of desire for life in the pursuit of happiness.  And just as Lily is happy when she is with Selden, she would be happy with this sort of lifestyle.  Furthermore, the fact that she cannot afford to stay at Bellomont could be interpreted as a symbol that her character is not compatible with the lifestyle of its inhabitants.  If Lily is to live a happy life, she will have to overcome her desire for luxury.