"" (Page 54) Lily was like a water-plant in the sense that she had no roots. There was not one place where she was situated; she roamed wherever life would take her. The fact that Lily never had a chance to settle is what bothered her primarily. Near the end of the novel she wanted a sense of fulfillment by having a family and a home of her own. She never did get that, but it is what she finally realized she needed. As she was slowly falling into her state of unconsciousness and dying, she dreamt of a baby being at her side. The hallucination of the baby made Lily feel better, Lily "had been unhappy, and now she was happy; she had felt herself alone, and now the sense of loneliness had vanished."" (Page 343) Just the idea of a family made her feel better. She did not imagine herself at a high society party with lots of money, she saw herself with a child and that was what it took to make her happy.
One of Lily's main goals in life is to marry into an affluent family. Having money would be her ultimate success; however she does not try hard to attain this goal. Near the beginning of the novel, Lily is on her way to Bellomont when she encounters Percy Gryce on the train. Lily sits with him, because Gryce is a potential husband for her. The two converse on the train and become acquainted. When they arrive at Bellomont, the two make plans to go to church and for a walk. Lily opts out of spending time with Gryce to be with Lawrence Selden; Selden is not a wealthy man, which is what prevents Lily from marrying him. She does cancel plans with Gryce twice, in order to be with Selden. When Lily and Selden are together, Lily states, "I have broken two engagements for you today. How many have you broken for me?-(Page 67) Both the engagements Lily was speaking of were with Gryce. Before Lily neglected her plans with Gryce she had a good possibility of marrying him. After Bellomont, the chances of Lily and Gryce marrying were eliminated.
