Law in Contemporary Society

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AnjaliBhatThirdPaper 4 - 30 Jun 2009 - Main.AnjaliBhat
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-- AnjaliBhat - 15 May 2009
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  she thinks Lily is a victim of the way men run society, and she wants Lily to be able to put the questions behind her and live the way you are free to do.
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  • The novel is a tragedy for many reasons, Lily's femaleness being a huge one. Of course I think Lily is a victim of the way men run society and would be able to do a great deal with the freedom my license and today's laws give me. But that seemed to me a very obvious point, and one that I did not have something original to say on. Rather, I was focusing on the personal characteristics that are also a huge part of Lily's tragedy: her scruples and her aesthetics. For the purposes of this essay, I was more interested in how Lily negotiates the structure of her society than that structure itself. I was focusing on her individual mental processes, not a broader feminist social analysis--though I certainly see the feminist issues here. What was interesting to me about Lily's psychology is what she finds beyond the pale, what the lines are that she won't cross, and which lines she will cross once she is pushed far enough (like marrying Rosedale). Wharton intended us to compare Lily to Selden, and wonder what she could have done with his law license and his opportunities. But I think she also intended us to be simultaneously frustrated, admiring and fascinated with Lily's value system and the scruples that she clings to.

Revision 4r4 - 30 Jun 2009 - 12:39:31 - AnjaliBhat
Revision 3r3 - 29 Jun 2009 - 17:48:39 - EbenMoglen
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