Real Americans

During the first section of the novel, Matthew buys an expensive dress for Lily to wear to an upcoming party. Lily is initially moved by the gesture and enchanted by the dress, but she quickly wonders if the purchase is an indictment of the dress she wore to the last event the two attended together. The dress therefore symbolizes not only Matthew’s affluence but also the way that wealth and class divide the couple. It speaks to the theme of Class and Belonging in the way that it highlights Lily’s worry that she will never truly belong among Matthew’s wealthy friends and family members. Her conflicting feelings about the dress are a microcosm of her broader struggle with class. She is not ashamed of her middle-class roots, but she does acutely feel the gap between her background and Matthew’s. She is shown at times to be markedly anti-materialist, but she is also dazzled by Matthew’s wealth. She adapts readily to vacations in the Hamptons, Matthew’s expensive condo, and the financial security that their relationship affords her. At the same time, the dress encapsulates her worry that she will never truly be seen as an insider in his social circles.