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
Instead of creating thier own identities they worried about not doing anything that could possibly make them part of the stereotype they hate, and this is where they worry too much what others will think. Recall the story of Abraham, when God asked Abraham to sacrifice his own son. This is comparable to the gluttonous in the third circle of hell. Instead of letting God govern his life, Winston used money and the Linden Hills idea of conformity to make all of his decisions, so he could advance in this life. Marriage is one of the most celebrated events in a person's life, and it implies ideals which money cannot buy. This is similar to the Epicureans, who are seen in the sixth level of hell in Dante's Inferno, they are damned to hell because they were freethinkers who esteemed nothing higher than comfort in this life, and therefore denied the immortality of the soul. Therefore he is denied true happiness and the immortality of the soul because true happiness is serving God. Laurel Dumont of 722 Seventh Crescent Drive is a character that stands out in the book Linden Hills. She did not know much about her family history, she had no children to call her mother, and she no longer could call herself a wife. This is comparable to all the people of Linden Hills who make their decisions on what others will think of them and especially to Xavier who seems to always put his reputation before anything else. They must reley on other sinners to tell them what their present state is. Linden Hills was supposed to be a place where African Americans could live happily and safely with people who have similar dreams and interests outside of the judgemental sterotyping eyes of white America. In the book Linden Hills, Maxwell once loved a girl but he left her, for she complicated his life too much. This seems like a measly reward for eternal happiness in life and the after life. He believes that if he were to marry a more successful woman it would further advance his position in Linden Hills and therefore advance his reputation.
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Acceptance Essays
