The House of Mirth
In early 20th century New York City, an impoverished socialite desperately seeks a suitable husband as she gradually finds herself betrayed by her friends and exiled from high society.
The film underperformed commercially against its modest budget of $10.0M, earning $5.2M globally (-48% loss). While initial box office returns were modest, the film has gained appreciation for its unique voice within the drama genre.
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Arcplot Score Breakdown
Weighted: Precision (70%) + Arc (15%) + Theme (15%)
The House of Mirth (2000) showcases deliberately positioned narrative design, characteristic of Terence Davies's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 14-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 2 hours and 15 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 7.1, the film balances conventional beats with creative variation.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 2 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Lily Bart arrives at Grand Central Station, a beautiful but aging unmarried woman navigating New York's high society in 1905, dependent on her social connections and charm to maintain her precarious position.. Significantly, this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 17 minutes when Lily abandons her carefully planned pursuit of Percy Gryce to spend time with Selden, sabotaging her best marriage prospect and setting in motion her social decline.. At 12% through the film, this Disruption aligns precisely with traditional story structure. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
The First Threshold at 34 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 25% of the runtime. This indicates the protagonist's commitment to Lily is falsely accused of having an affair with married man Gus Trenor and is expelled from her social circle, forced into a new world of declining status and financial desperation., moving from reaction to action.
At 68 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 50% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. Of particular interest, this crucial beat Lily is fired from the millinery shop due to her inability to perform manual labor efficiently, marking a false defeat as her options for survival narrow dramatically., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 101 minutes (75% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Lily encounters Nettie Struther, the working-class woman she once helped, now happy with a baby and simple life, forcing Lily to confront that her social position has cost her everything meaningful, including the possibility of love and family., indicates the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Synthesis at 108 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 80% of the runtime. Lily takes an overdose of chloral and dies alone; Selden arrives too late, finding her body and the burned letters, realizing the depth of her sacrifice and his lost chance at happiness with her., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
The House of Mirth's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 14 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs structural analysis methodology used to understand storytelling architecture. By mapping The House of Mirth against these established plot points, we can identify how Terence Davies utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish The House of Mirth within the drama genre.
Comparative Analysis
Additional drama films include Eye for an Eye, South Pacific and Kiss of the Spider Woman.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Lily Bart arrives at Grand Central Station, a beautiful but aging unmarried woman navigating New York's high society in 1905, dependent on her social connections and charm to maintain her precarious position.
Theme
Lawrence Selden observes that Lily is "too honest to be successful" in the marriage market, establishing the central conflict between authentic selfhood and social survival.
Worldbuilding
Introduction to Lily's world: her dependence on wealthy relatives, her scheming to marry rich Percy Gryce, her complicated relationship with Selden, and the ruthless social machinery of Gilded Age New York.
Disruption
Lily abandons her carefully planned pursuit of Percy Gryce to spend time with Selden, sabotaging her best marriage prospect and setting in motion her social decline.
Resistance
Lily debates her choices as she loses Percy Gryce, faces Bertha Dorset's manipulations, and struggles between financial security through marriage and her authentic feelings for Selden.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Lily is falsely accused of having an affair with married man Gus Trenor and is expelled from her social circle, forced into a new world of declining status and financial desperation.
Mirror World
Lily moves in with working-class Gerty Farish, who represents an alternative life of modest independence and genuine purpose, embodying the theme of authenticity over social ambition.
Premise
Lily explores life outside high society: working in a millinery shop, experiencing poverty, maintaining dignity despite social exile, while still possessing damaging letters that could restore her position.
Midpoint
Lily is fired from the millinery shop due to her inability to perform manual labor efficiently, marking a false defeat as her options for survival narrow dramatically.
Opposition
Lily's situation deteriorates as she faces addiction to sleeping draughts, increasing poverty, humiliation, and pressure to use Bertha's incriminating letters for blackmail to save herself.
Collapse
Lily encounters Nettie Struther, the working-class woman she once helped, now happy with a baby and simple life, forcing Lily to confront that her social position has cost her everything meaningful, including the possibility of love and family.
Crisis
Alone in her boarding room, Lily processes her complete isolation and the unbearable weight of her choices, struggling with despair and her final decision.
Act III
ResolutionSynthesis
Lily takes an overdose of chloral and dies alone; Selden arrives too late, finding her body and the burned letters, realizing the depth of her sacrifice and his lost chance at happiness with her.
Transformation
Selden weeps over Lily's peaceful dead face, understanding too late that she achieved a tragic transformation: freedom from social performance through death, the only escape from a society that had no place for an honest woman.