EDITH WHARTON’S NOVELS- THE ARROGANCE, THE AVARICE, THE COWARDICE OF THE MAIN FEMALE CHARACTERS

The world presented in Edith Wharton’s novels The Custom of the Country, Ethan Frome and The House of Mirth, is predominantly the world of late 19th century New York upper class society. The portrayal of the characters in all three novels has one common feature. While the male characters are mostly unimpressive, weak and inadequate, the portrayal of female characters reveals a wide array of deeply flawed human beings. The presence of the silent, secretive Zenobia Frome in Ethan Frome is defined as evil and alien, a mysterious force which hold her husband and his life prospects back. Lilly Bart, the protagonist of The House of Mirth, is luxury loving, arrogant at times and parasitic at instances - more than one page of the novel depicts her boarding with friends and living with people she despises, simply because this is the only way she can afford aesthetics and luxury surrounding her. Perhaps the worst, at least from the characters depicted for the purpose of this study, is Undine Spragg. The Custom of the Country main character depicts a woman who is merciless, inconsiderate and deprived of any capacity to love, even when it comes to her own child. These characters raise a question about the author of the novel: was Edith Wharton a misogynist? What motivated her to write novels about women from her own social setting characterizing them as villains at worst and cowards at best? This article will attempt to answer this question by analyzing the novels and the female characters.