A Heaven on Earth: Linden Hill

             The people in Linden Hills seem as if they would do almost anything to get ahead in life. As Ruth said in the book when describing the people in Linden Hills, "They eat, sleep, and breathe for one thing - making it"(Naylor). The residents are so concerned with making a heaven on earth they made Christianity take a backseat to their earthly aspirations. In the book Linden Hills, Gloria Naylor portrays a hell on Earth by paralleling Dante's Inferno in order to show, through her characterization, that putting one's reputation before one's dreams and God's will clouds people's judgment and not only ruins one's after life but one's life on earth as well.
             One of the first examples of this theme in which the book portrays is the dilemma of Winston Allcot of Second Crescent Drive. Today is his wedding day. He is marrying a beautiful girl and starting a new chapter in life. This should be cause for rejoicing and celebration. To many it seems that Winston is very happy at his wedding reception, but to those willing to look deeper, his happiness is only skin deep. The problem is that Winston Allcot is a homosexual and he is in love with his best friend David. While it may be a sin to be a homosexual, in the church's eyes, it is also a sin to go against the will of God. Thou shall not kill is a direct commandment from God, but one must also follow the will of God. Recall the story of Abraham, when God asked Abraham to sacrifice his own son. Abraham knew this was wrong and did not want to kill his son, but knowing he must, because it was God's decision, he was prepared to do it. At the last second God told Abraham not to sacrifice his son, for this was a test of loyalty. God has a destiny for all of us, and Winston chose to defy this destiny. He sold his happiness and his own salvation for the protection of his upstanding reputation and a house on the sixth crescent of Tupelo Drive. This seems like a measly reward for eternal happiness in l...

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A Heaven on Earth: Linden Hill. (1969, December 31). In MegaEssays.com. Retrieved 05:27, March 29, 2024, from https://www.megaessays.com/viewpaper/76506.html