# Simon Rosedale — The House of Mirth character guide > Simon Rosedale in The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton. **Role:** supporting **Also known as:** Mr. Rosedale, Rosedale, Mr. Simon Rosedale **First appearance:** 0002-ii ## Snapshot A rising Jewish financier whose money buys him everything except the drawing-room entrée he craves, and who keeps a ledger of every snub. ## Who they are Rosedale collects social capital the way other men collect art, studying the manners of old New York with the diligence of a man who intends to own a piece of it. Lily's casual slights register on him with a precision she never bothers to notice, and his mixture of blunt ambition and genuine shrewdness makes him both a threat and an unexpected ally. His pursuit of Lily and his willingness to trade respectability for access quietly expose how the marriage market really operates. ## Relationships ### [Lily Bart](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_of_mirth_se/characters/lily_bart) _romantic_ A transactional romantic pursuit by the socially ambitious Rosedale, which Lily alternately encourages and rejects based on her fluctuating fortunes. ### [Bertha Dorset](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_of_mirth_se/characters/bertha_dorset) _social_ An uneasy alliance of convenience between two social climbers who use each other for information and influence. ### [Lily Bart](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_of_mirth_se/characters/lily_bart) _romantic_ A transactional romantic pursuit by the socially ambitious Rosedale, which Lily alternately encourages and rejects based on her fluctuating fortunes. ### [Lily Bart](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_of_mirth_se/characters/lily_bart) _romantic_ A transactional romantic pursuit by the socially ambitious Rosedale, which Lily alternately encourages and rejects based on her fluctuating fortunes. ### [Bertha Dorset](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_of_mirth_se/characters/bertha_dorset) _social_ An uneasy alliance of convenience between two social climbers who use each other for information and influence. ### [Bertha Dorset](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_of_mirth_se/characters/bertha_dorset) _social_ An uneasy alliance of convenience between two social climbers who use each other for information and influence. ## In the story ### [Book I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_of_mirth_se/chapters/book-i) A wealthy Jewish financier who appears briefly, representing the nouveau riche and a potential suitor for Lily, though she dismisses him due to his lack of social polish. ### [Chapter II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_of_mirth_se/chapters/ii) Encountered Lily after her visit to Selden; she fears he will spread the story of her lie about visiting her dressmaker. ### [Chapter V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_of_mirth_se/chapters/v) Mentioned in conversation as a potential best man for Jack Stepney's wedding; Lily associates him with hated social possibilities. ### [Chapter VIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_of_mirth_se/chapters/viii) Observed slipping through the crowd; his tip enabled Trenor's speculation. ### [Chapter X](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_of_mirth_se/chapters/x) Visits Lily, alluding to her financial transactions with Gus Trenor, and secures her attendance at the opera. ### [Chapter XI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_of_mirth_se/chapters/xi) Has doubled his fortune during a poor season; sees Lily Bart as possessing the complementary qualities needed to complete his social personality. ### [Chapter XV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_of_mirth_se/chapters/xv) Visits Lily and proposes marriage, offering his wealth and a vision of a wife who can wear diamonds with dignity, but Lily finds him repugnant. ### [Chapter V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_of_mirth_se/chapters/v) Rosedale's admiration for Lily persists, but he now views their past intimacy as a minor episode in his social ascent. ### [Chapter VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_of_mirth_se/chapters/vi) Present as a fellow guest at Carry Fisher's house; Lily observes his kindness to Carry's child but remains repelled by him. ### [VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_of_mirth_se/chapters/vii) Rosedale lays out a coldly pragmatic plan for Lily to use Bertha Dorset's letters to secure her social position, offering marriage as a 'backing' but revealing his view of the transaction as a business deal. ### [Chapter X](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_of_mirth_se/chapters/x) Lily considers the temptation of accepting a loan from him or marrying him on previously rejected terms. ### [Chapter XI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_of_mirth_se/chapters/xi) Rosedale visits Lily at her boardinghouse, expressing disgust at her living conditions and renewing his interest in her. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_of_mirth_se/characters/simon_rosedale - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_of_mirth_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_of_mirth_se/characters