Pineapple Street

In this section, it becomes clear that Darley’s complex attitudes about money and status are negatively affecting Malcolm’s well-being, making him feel more ashamed about his firing. Darley hadn’t intended to make Malcolm feel worse, but just like the rest of the Stocktons, Darley has a difficult time acknowledging and conversing on topics that are sensitive. This is a key moment in Darley’s character development because she comes to terms with the fact that reneging on her inheritance has not freed her from the social and cultural constrictions that being a member of the extreme upper class has imposed upon her over the years. However, because Darley cares more deeply about her husband than she does about money or status, she decides to redirect her energy and bring the fact of his unemployment out into the open.

Darley is not the only member of the Stockton family who embraces financial and philosophical change. Georgiana’s character development and decision to donate large amounts of her fortune to good causes serve as a catalyst that galvanizes the rest of the Stockton family to adjust their rarified attitudes toward money, class, and status. Thus, they decide to be more open to having deep and difficult conversations about topics that have been culturally taboo in their social circles. This adjustment shows that despite their many issues, their tight-knit dynamics are not just about protecting themselves from outsiders, but also about truly supporting one another with unconditional love. Because Georgiana takes the lead on transforming the Stockton family dynamics, she makes amends with Sasha by enabling everyone in the family to be more open to accepting differences. For the first time, the Stocktons ask Sasha about her upbringing in detail. Though they’ve met her family from Rhode Island, they’ve never had to spend significant time with Sasha’s family; Sasha has always lived in their world without compelling them to adjust to hers, and that’s how the Stocktons like it. It is notable that Sasha has been with Cord and living in his world for a long time, but it’s only now that she is finally asked to share details of her own background. This shift demonstrates the profound degree to which the Stockton family is changing, but it also highlights just how much of an outsider Sasha has been within her husband’s family. That the Stocktons have never even asked Sasha about her life shows that they didn’t care, at least not until Georgiana pushed them all to think about people in contexts outside of their extreme socio-economic norms.

Just as the Stocktons push themselves to adapt, Sasha also meets them halfway. Jackson highlights that in order to create a family, everyone must be willing to compromise and meet certain expectations. Therefore, it is notable that Sasha hosts her first themed party in honor of Chip’s birthday, an act that demonstrates her attempt to become an active member of the Stockton family, using their codes and culture. Ironically, the fire that destroys much of the Stocktons’ antique furniture is started at this party, and so Sasha is connected to the circumstances that force the Stocktons to relinquish their hold on both their physical possessions and their philosophical views as they move forward in their newly revised world.

The symbolism of the fire is an apt conclusion to Jackson’s novel. So much character development has occurred in the final chapters that it is fitting for the treasured house on Pineapple Street to change dramatically as well. The house on Pineapple Street is the physical embodiment of the Stockton lineage, and the fire forces the whole family to put some of their past behind them and move forward, which echoes how the family is relearning their interpersonal dynamics and striving to become better people. In literature, fires often symbolize cleansing and rebuilding; they destroy so that something better can be built from the ashes. In this case, the literary symbolism emphasizes how the Stocktons will rebuild their future as a family with new dynamics and new openness to the real world around them.

Arguably, Georgiana changes the most in this novel. Her character development replicates tropes of the bildungsroman, in which external challenges force a young person to grow into a fuller version of their potential. Georgiana’s plan to become a philanthropist honors Brady’s legacy and pushes her to learn more about the workings of the real world. Georgiana doesn’t just want to give away money; she wants to be a part of the research and development of the charities she is supporting. Therefore, Georgiana will become an active participant in making the world a better place. This doesn’t necessarily mean that Georgiana is taking a huge risk on her future. After all, she still lives in an apartment owned by her parents and so doesn’t have to pay rent, and she will indubitably inherit more money in the future. Still, her character development is important because it is a model for how incredibly-wealthy millennials can use their unearned inheritance to contribute to the greater good. The main point here is need—Georgiana is one person, and she simply doesn’t need 37,000,000 dollars, but other organizations and communities will be transformed for the better by this money.

In the Epilogue to the novel, it is revealed that Curtis and Georgiana are actively pursuing a relationship together. This is yet another positive next step in Georgiana’s life. She fulfills her parents’ wishes for her to be with someone they recognize from their own community but, ironically, both she and Curtis are divesting their fortunes by dedicating their funds to philanthropic endeavors. Curtis has always been a positive influence on Georgiana, so their relationship solidifies the fact that Georgiana is Seeking Happiness Through Wealth by paradoxically giving that wealth to others in healthy and fulfilling ways.