The author demonstrates that the novel, 'The House of Mirth", revolves around a young
beautiful woman (Lily Bart) who aspires
to join the upper class and in her quest for success ruins her own life. The paper studies the many faces of Lily's ambition and shows why it turned into a negative force for the protagonist. The author feels that Edith Wharton's
strength was exposing readers to both sides of ambition.