Lawrence Selden is a dynamic character. He is extremely different from his counterparts in House of Mirth because he values emotional bliss rather than the glitz and glamour of New York's upper class. This may be due to his upbringing. As a child, his family was far from wealthy, however him and his parents lack of wealth was counterbalanced by their love for eachother. Similar to Lily, Selden is a victim of his upbringing. When reflecting on Lawrence, Lily says “it had been Selden's fate to have a charming mother….who had given him his sense of "values." It was from her that he inherited his detachment from the sumptuary side of life” (1.14.7). Despite this modest upbringing, Selden likes to indulge himself with the finer things in life every …show more content…
Readers have a tendency to believe otherwise because Selden chooses to attend the parties at Bellomont and entertain gossip between the socialites of New York. Lily even points out that Selden spends a hearty amount of money in order to spend time with the people he supposedly doesn't like. However, his so called hypocrisy isn't what it seems. The only reason he does this is in order to get either closer or farther away from Lily. The first example of this is at Judy Trenors parties. Lawrence Selden did not go to the first party but once he was aware that Lily was in attendance, he shows up to the second one. When on a walk following the festivities, Seldon says “My only engagement at Bellemont was with you” (1.6.71). Lily then asks him if he really came just to see her and he answers “Of course I did” (1.6.71).. Another prime example of Selden following Lily is at Carry Fishers dinner party. Selden dines with his cousin Gerdy who tells him that Lily was to be at Carry's home for a dinner party. He leaves immediately to go to Carry's house, where he is told that Lily has already departed to Gus Trenors house. As for his extravagant trip to Monte Carlo, that could be seen as an escape from Lily. After she leaves him heartbroken, Selden immerses himself in his work and goes into what seems like a depression. His first major public outing is a trip to Monte Carlo and a step towards independence from Lily. All in all, Selden was a spectator, using the rich and wealthy as entertainment, however he is extremely active in chasing after Lily’s heart, thus unintentionally entangling him into the messy world of the New York