House of Mirth by Edith Wharton.
Lily descends into depression. Surrounded by loneliness, without anything to look forward to, Lily falls into a delirious and depressed state. She is found wandering Bryant Park by an old acquaintance from when Lily participated in Gerty's charity program. Lily's encounter with Nettie Struther, who has achieved greatly and is living a comfortable family life, made Lily stronger and happier, however, this happiness did not last long. Lily receives a check from Mrs. Peniston's estate and she begins clearing her debts. After removing herself from debt, Lily was struck with the reality that she had no money to live on. Depressed by her situation, Lily overdoses on her sleep aid and dies in her sleep. The next day, Selden sets out to visit Lily and to ultimately propose to her. Gerty Farish had arrived first to find Lily dead in her bed. Selden remains with Lily and realizes how deep his love truly was for her. Selden feels as if he was partly responsible for her demise because he never had the nerves to tell how he truly felt about her.
Love and sadness are usually two motions that go hand in hand. This book kept that true. Even I, who believed that Lily got what she deserved for living such a lavish and frivolous life, felt sympathy for her and her situation. She did clear her name and make right with her affairs which was a good decision. I feel that if she had not been in a distraught state, Lily could have started with a clean slate.
"His words overwhelmed him in a realization of the cowardice which had driven him from her at the very moment of attainment" (Wharton, 267).
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