Summer

Charity exploits her sexual attractiveness to Lawyer Royall in order to manipulate his behavior in the early sections of the book. Is this behavior that she has come to realize to be effective as the result of her experience, or is she merely responding to his obvious attraction to her? Royall attempts to engage Charity in a sexual liaison, but never forces her to do so. Which character displays the less ethical behavior in this relationship?

Consider the description of the inhabitants of the Mountain, who are the descendants of railway workers who drank or engaged in criminal activities and established what is reputed to be a lawless colony in the woods. Charity is both repulsed by and interested in her family roots in the area, while Lucius Harney envisions the community from a romantic point of view, opining that the residents “[…] must have a good deal of character” (33). What circumstances might account for the differences in their perceptions of the area? 

The relationship between Charity and Lucius Harney evolves over a period of time. While she initially assumes him to feel superior toward her and to be detrimental to her maintaining employment in the library, she eventually becomes enamored of the young man. When she assumes that he is leaving town without bidding her farewell, she equates her feelings about him to the image of Liff Hyatt’s work boot crushing the small white flowers on the mountain. Why does Wharton use this particular imagery to describe Charity’s feelings of disappointment, and why is it appropriate to do so? 

Following Charity’s public humiliation in Nettleton at the hands of the vicious Julia Hawes and the inebriated Royall, the young woman determines that she must depart from North Dormer immediately. She plans to return to the Mountain to live. She lacks any practical skills and is unaware of which, if any, of the Mountain’s inhabitants may actually be her family members. In view of these factors, is her return to the area a realistic plan? Why or why not?

Liff Hyatt, a resident of the Mountain, and Lucius Harney, a cultured architect from New York City, share the same initials. In your opinion, did the author, Edith Wharton, name these characters in this way with any particular symbolism in mind? Liff Hyatt may be said to represent the disadvantaged lifestyle that is synonymous with the Mountain, while Lucius Harney personifies all the characteristics associated with wealth and culture. Do they share any common characteristics?

Lawyer Royall has committed several serious errors: drinking to excess on at least two occasions in the book, humiliating Charity in public in Nettleton, and making a sexual approach to her while intoxicated. Does he display another side of his personality and character toward the end of the book? How does he redeem himself in the eyes of the reader?

Wharton uses her novel, in part, to make a commentary on several societal norms of her time. Consider the community reaction that Charity anticipates upon the realization that she is pregnant and unmarried. What do you think the author would feel about a young woman being ostracized in this way? How have the circumstances of a young woman in Charity’s situation changed in the present day?

Royall, who has proposed to Charity twice prior to her pregnancy, finally has his offer of marriage accepted by the end of the novel. He appears to be tacitly aware of her pregnancy, although he never alludes to the situation; he spends their wedding night sitting up in a chair in their hotel room. Conversely, for all intents and purposes, he has functioned as Charity’s guardian and father figure for most of her life. Does this circumstance create an incestuous tone in the marriage of these characters?