VI explained

What happens

Themes in this chapter

• Social Class and Mobility

  The conversation between Lily and Selden explores the constraints of social class, with Selden describing the wealthy as 'breathing' money and Lily arguing that money can be an opportunity for intelligent use. The theme is central to their debate about the republic of the spirit versus material society.

• Love and Individualism

  Lily's introspection reveals a tension between her romantic feelings for Selden and her social ambitions. She experiences a sense of freedom and lightness that she associates with love, but also recognizes the conflict between personal desire and societal expectations.

• Wealth and Materialism

  Selden critiques the wealthy for being unable to think beyond money, while Lily defends wealth as a means to an end. The chapter highlights the pervasive influence of materialism on personal relationships and social standing.

Characters to notice

• Lily Bart

  Lily experiences a sense of lightness and freedom during her walk with Selden, reflecting on her past romance with Herbert Melson and her current feelings. She breaks her engagement with Percy Gryce to spend time with Selden, revealing her internal conflict between social duty and personal inclination.

• Lawrence Selden

  Selden engages Lily in a philosophical discussion about society and money, describing himself as 'amphibious' and critiquing the wealthy. He admits he came to Bellomont specifically to see Lily, viewing her as a 'wonderful spectacle' and an artist of social maneuvering.

• Percy Gryce

  Percy Gryce is mentioned as Lily's suitor whom she has stood up for the walk. He is described as departing in a motorcar, resembling a 'baffled beetle,' and is concerned about Lily's health and its implications for future progeny.

• Judy Trenor

  Judy Trenor is referenced as having warned Lily to go slowly in her social maneuvering, and as the hostess of the Bellomont party.

• Ned Silverton

  Ned Silverton is mentioned by Selden as an example of a young man whose potential is wasted by society, being used to 'refurbish anybody's social shabbiness.'

• Herbert Melson

  Herbert Melson is recalled by Lily as the object of her first romantic passion, who later married the eldest Miss Van Osburgh and is now stout and wheezy.

Key passages

• “The peculiar charm of her feeling for Selden was that she understood it; she could put her finger on every link of the chain that was drawing them together.”

  Lily finds her attraction to Selden unique because she can rationally analyze each step of their growing connection.

  This reflects Lily's self-awareness and intellectual engagement with her emotions, contrasting with her earlier naive romanticism.

• “The real alchemy consists in being able to turn gold back again into something else; and that's the secret that most of your friends have lost.”

  Selden argues that true skill lies in converting wealth into meaningful experiences, a capacity he believes Lily's social circle lacks.

  This metaphor underscores Selden's critique of materialism and his ideal of personal transformation.

• “She had no real intimacy with nature, but she had a passion for the appropriate and could be keenly sensitive to a scene which was the fitting background of her own sensations.”

  Lily does not deeply connect with the natural world, but she appreciates landscapes that mirror her emotional state.

  This highlights Lily's aesthetic sensibility and her tendency to view her surroundings as a stage for her own drama.