Most Melancholy Occurrence [a look at death in boarding houses]

Most Melancholy Occurrence [a look at death in boarding houses]

Daily National Intelligencer

1824-08-16

*The date of the article is many years before the time period depicted in the novel. However, the contents of the article provide such an interesting insight into death in boarding houses that the difference can be overlooked. Furthermore, the content of the article does not go into detail about topics that would not be relatable to individuals living in boarding houses in the time period of the novel.

In the novel, The House of Mirth, Lily Bart is forced to live in a boarding house because she has no money left. Lily is extremely depressed about living in the boarding house, “The day’s task done, she dreaded to return to her narrow room, with its blotched wallpaper and shabby paint; and she hated every step of the walk thither, through the degradation of a New York street in the last stages of decline from fashion to commerce” (Wharton 233). The boarding house and Lily have become very similar. Both have declined from wealth to poverty. The article, “Most Melancholy Occurrence,” also highlights this degradation from fashion. In the article, two wealthy brothers have succumbed to debt, as Lily has also. This shows that Lily’s situation is realistic. At this time many people declined from wealth and were forced to live in a boarding house. Furthermore, the two men in the article fell from fashion because of amounting debts. This situation is similar to Lily’s because she too is in debt. The brothers’ situation in the boarding house helps the reader to understand that boarding houses were a place for people in economic trouble. This would make the boarding house appear to be a sad and deteriorating place. In addition, the two men in the article later commit suicide because of their insurmountable debt and depression from living in the boarding house. This sheds light onto Lily’s death, “Perspective had disappeared- the next day pressed close upon her, and on its heels came the days that were to follow- they swarmed about her like a shrieking mob” (Wharton 262). This quote shows that Lily was feeling trapped and thought the only way to escape was by drinking a dangerous dose of sleeping medication. This further supports the idea that Lily committed suicide and did not accidentally kill herself. This view is supported by the suicide of the two brothers. Suicide was not an unknown occurrence in boarding houses. Therefore, Lily could have committed suicide like the brothers did because of debt and depression. The boarding house was not a welcoming place for individuals in debt.

*The date of the article is many years before the time period depicted in the novel. However, the contents of the article provide such an interesting insight into death in boarding houses that the difference can be overlooked. Furthermore, the content of the article does not go into detail about topics that would not be relatable to individuals living in boarding houses in the time period of the novel.

Kirsten Van Nortwick

"Most Melancholy Occurrence." Daily National Intelligencer [Washington, District Of Columbia] 16 Aug. 1824: n.p. Nineteenth Century U.S. Newspapers. Web. 6 Apr. 2015.

Original document is out of copyright (it was published before 1923). Every effort has been made to comply with the provisions of any licensing agreements associated with digitization of the original document. For further information, please see the “about” page.

Document