Consider Mary’s choices toward the end of the story. Why does she choose this life rather than another?

Wharton’s story “A Muse’s Tragedy” ends with a melancholy letter where Mary Anerton chooses to confess her feelings to Danyer after he proposes to her. Mary was always whispered about and somewhat looked down upon because she was Rendle’s muse. She spends endless time with him and through that, she thought that Rendle would begin to grow some feelings for her. It was at the moment when Rendle died that Mary wished she could have said something sooner to him. Along with that, she has always observed his actions enough to know that he would never truly be with her although she did not want to admit it. Mary decides to reject Danyer’s proposal in the letterform that consisted of how she got to where she was to reject him. She could not go back to Venice and “spoil that month– my one month.” (Wharton, 40). She chooses her life because she believes it is what she deserves and because she does not want to part away from her dreams. She does not separate her dreams from reality where Rendle is gone and that he will never reciprocate the feelings she had to her, especially because he is gone. Mary has somewhat of dedicated and strong action, however, Mary does not take into account how Danyer will feel. He took her in regardless of what others said about her, got to know her, and accepted her as herself. Denyer, in the end, is not able to show the love that Rendle can never offer her.