Carry Fisher Character Analysis in The House of Mirth

A twice-divorced woman who is adept at making the men around her give her money, Carry Fisher is in charge of organizing other people’s parties and integrating them in high society, which she does for Mr. and Mrs. Wellington Bry as well as Mr. and Mrs. Gormer. Despite initially following the other upper-class women in rejecting Lily Bart after the young woman’s separation from Bertha Dorset, Carry later proves that she is in fact a loyal friend to Lily. She repents for her actions and actively helps Lily with both emotional and job-related support, proving that she is both honest and reliable. However, Carry’s loyalty ultimately proves limited, as she distances herself from Lily when she fears becoming involved in a social scandal, proving that her desire to remain part of high society is stronger than her friendship.

Carry Fisher Quotes in The House of Mirth

The The House of Mirth quotes below are all either spoken by Carry Fisher or refer to Carry Fisher. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:

). Note: all page numbers and citation info for the quotes below refer to the Dover edition of The House of Mirth published in 2002.

“Sometimes […] I think it’s just flightiness—and sometimes I think it’s because, at heart, she despises the things she’s trying for. And it’s the difficulty of deciding that makes her such an interesting study.”

Related Characters: (speaker), ,

Page Number and Citation: 152

Explanation and Analysis:

Carry Fisher Character Timeline in The House of Mirth

The timeline below shows where the character Carry Fisher appears in The House of Mirth. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...the example of Ned Silverton, an innocent, beautiful boy who fell in love with divorcée Carry Fisher and with bridge, which made him become addicted to gambling. Over time, Lily’s hostesses... (full context)

...afraid that people might be bored. She also notes that people disapprove of her inviting Carry Fisher, a woman who has been divorced twice, and she complains about Mrs. Fisher borrowing... (full context)

...if she can go pick up her husband, Gus Trenor, because she does not want Carry Fisher to do so, since she is afraid that Mrs. Fisher would ask Gus for... (full context)

...and Gus’s friendship, since Gus’s stories are so tedious. Judy then contrasts Lily’s attitude with Carry Fisher’s, which she considers immoral because Carry asks Gus to speculate for her without compensating... (full context)

...then invited to spend Thanksgiving at a party financed by Wellington Bry and organized by Carry Fisher. Although the Wellington Brys are not part of Lily’s usual upper-class circle, she decides... (full context)

...Lily attends a party that makes her forget about these troubles at least temporarily. Under Carry Fisher’s guidance, Wellington Bry and Louisa Bry want to organize a party that will be... (full context)

...replies that she will have to meet her after dinner, because she is dining with Carry Fisher. (full context)

...to feel a vivid sense of pain and, when Selden stands up to go to Mrs. Fisher ’s, where Gerty told him Lily was, Selden leaves Gerty without noticing the disappointment he... (full context)

At Carry Fisher’s, Selden hears that Lily has already left, and he listens to people gossip about... (full context)

...to convince her to actually tell her what has happened, adding that Selden went to Carry Fisher’s to look for her—a comment that only makes Lily feel more fragile and horrified,... (full context)

...the problems he faced in New York. However, as he walks around, he runs into Carry Fisher, who is accompanied by Jack Stepney and his wife Gwen, Louisa Bry, and Lord... (full context)

After lunch, Selden walks with Carry Fisher, who has been helping Wellington and Louisa Bry integrate into high society, but has... (full context)

...leaves the ship. When she enters the Casino, she sees Mrs. Bry and, behind her, Carry Fisher, who tells Lily that Mrs. Bry is angry at Carry for failing to create... (full context)

...she can try to use her influence to make the Duchess invite Mrs. Bry, but Carry then admits that she is worried about Lily herself, because a journalist (Mr. Dabham) is... (full context)

...into George Dorset, who makes her feel even more apprehensive than after her conversation with Carry. As Lily accompanies George on a walk, she notices that he is extremely nervous, and... (full context)

...feels afraid for her, although the blame in this situation should logically fall on Bertha. Carry Fisher, who is attuned to mysterious, underlying dynamics, suggests that Lily should marry George in... (full context)

...toward her. However, when she comes across a group of women led by Judy and Carry Fisher, the two women appear embarrassed to see Lily and behave curtly toward her, which... (full context)

...However, as she is walking in the street, a cab pulls up to her and Carry Fisher appears, apologizing profusely to Lily for having treated her so badly when she saw... (full context)

On Monday, as Carry drives Lily back to New York, she tells Lily to accompany Sam and Mattie Gormer... (full context)

Conscious of Lily’s dilemma, Carry Fisher suggests that Lily marry either George Dorset, who is having problems with Bertha again... (full context)

...that she needs to find a way to marry Rosedale. When she goes to visit Carry Fisher at her house at Tuxedo in November, Mrs. Fisher happens to be out and... (full context)

After dinner, Lily and Carry talk by the fireside. Carry shares her success at making Wellington and Louisa Bry more... (full context)

After leaving Gerty to meet Carry Fisher, who has found Lily someone in need of a social secretary, Lily reflects on... (full context)

...assist a rich, divorced woman from the west, Norma Hatch, in her social climb. Although Carry Fisher does not know Mrs. Hatch personally, she learned of the opportunity through a lawyer... (full context)

Now, thanks to the combined efforts of Gerty Farish and Carry Fisher, Lily is working for Mme. Regina, a hat-maker. Although Lily hopes to open her... (full context)

That evening, in her room, Lily feels lonely. Carry Fisher has been afraid for people to think that she was involved in the scandal... (full context)