Only the first marriage is the real one and remarrying would just be a cheap compromise
Marriage is something sacred, and Lydia thinks they need no ceremony to sanctify their love
Marriage is just a self-imposed prison in which women have to give up their dreams and freedom
Marriage just exists to prevent close relationships between people
In Lydia’s perspective, a marriage would just drive them apart
In the end Lydia realizes that through her divorce she is barred from society
She arrives at the conclusion that remarriage is the only way back to a normal life
Resources:
Lewis, R.W.B., ed. The Collected Short Stories of Edith Wharton. New York: Scribner, 1968. Print.104-127.
Kornetta, Reiner. Das Korsett im Kopf: Ehe und Ökonomie in den Kurzgeschichten Edith Whartons. Frankfurt am Main, New York: P. Lang, 1996. Print. Düsseldorfer Beiträge aus Anglistik und Amerikanistik Bd. 4.177-181.
Patton, Craig R. A Prison of Her Own Making: An Analysis of “Souls Belated” 2011. Web. 11 Dec. 2013.