The House of Mirth: Book 1, Chapters 1 and 2

After reading chapters one and two of The House of Mirth, a novel authored by Edith Wharton, one character that really caught my attention and quite honestly confused me was Mr. Percy Gryce. At first, when introduced to Gryce, I gaged him to be a rather flat character, with the personality to be that of a shy, attention-avoiding man. When Lily first sees him while traveling, he even seems embarrassed to encounter her. Furthermore, he is portrayed as a man “who had promised his mother never to go out in the rain without his overshoes,” (Wharton, 14). Statements made about Gryce such as this suggest him to be a slight pushover who would really be happy with a life void of confrontation. However, as I continued to read, the topic of Americana emerged, and that was when my perception of Gryce began to change. Perhaps more of a round character, it seems as though the more Lily Bart fed Gryce’s interest, the more open and proud he seemed. The book mentions that Gryce “took, in the printed mention of his name, a pleasure so exquisite and excessive that it seemed a compensation for his shrinking from publicity,” (Wharton, 16). To me, this look into the depth of Gryce’s personality proved that he had developed a sense of superiority in his hobby, and that he took great enjoyment from people praising and recognizing him for it. Lily Bart claims that Gryce’s egoism needed constant care and “watering” so to speak, quite similar to a plant. Bart’s recognition of this personality trait shows that Gryce is apparently the type of person who must constantly be fed praise and admiration for his work. This just further explores that although Gryce might initially come across as a quiet, introverted man, there is more to his character than meets the eye.