60 pages • 2 hours read
Pineapple Street
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Symbols & Motifs
The House on Pineapple Street
The house on Pineapple Street is both a setting and a symbol in this novel. The house represents the legacy of the Stockton family and all of their interconnectedness. It is literally identified through their family history because it holds all of their inherited portraits and antiques that connect them to the important Stocktons that came before them. The house represents the Stockton family as well as its need to be modernized and revitalized. Like the antique, dusty nature of the house, the Stocktons are too comfortable with remaining static, even when confronted with the urgent need to adapt with the times. The house is therefore a physical manifestation of the Stocktons’ collective and outdated sense of identity. They resist making the hard decisions about letting go of the more problematic aspects of their past, and so the house represents their commitment to upholding tradition and enshrining the childhood memories of the now adult children that they continue to infantilize. When a fire destroys many of the house’s antiques, the house is rebuilt and can finally represent the family’s attempt to start a new chapter. It’s also notable that the house is on the exclusive Pineapple Street in Brooklyn, which is a highly expensive neighborhood that represents the profound impact of the gentrification that made the Stocktons wealthy in the first place.
Fire
In literature, fire is a symbol that is used for destruction and rebuilding. There are certain things in life that must be destroyed before they can be rebuilt. In this novel, the fire in the house on Pineapple Street signifies that it’s time for the Stockton family to break their ties with the past and look toward a new future. The fire occurs in parallel with major character development, such as Georgiana becoming a philanthropist and Darley moving in with her family. In order for these new character developments to be successful, everyone in the Stockton family needs to be more open to change. The fire forces that change, to an extent. It is also an ironic fire because it concludes Sasha’s first time hosting an important theme party for a Stockton family member. The fire destroys many of the house’s furnishings right after the party, and it is ironic that just as Sasha tries to partake fully of the Stockton family’s cultural rituals, the fire obliterates many of the physical objects that enshrine their more nebulous customs and traditions. Thus the fire provides a humorous moment, but it’s also a symbol of new beginnings.
Money
The concept of money holds considerable power throughout the tumultuous events that reshape the Stockton family. In literature, money can often symbolize power, influence, and greed. But in Pineapple Street, money represents legacy. The Stockton family fortune is a way of connecting with family over time and a way in which family members can see themselves reflected in the world around them. Money here is a safety net, but it can also hold characters back from being the fullest version of themselves, as Georgiana learns. Jackson also uses the characters’ complex interactions to emphasize that money can symbolize happiness and stability, but that it cannot be the symbol for ultimate peace and happiness. Money can cause conflict, in this novel mostly because of the myopic or reductive viewpoints of the mega-rich. Money holds people back from seeing the world as it actually is. Because Curtis gives up his money, he becomes the secondary character who role models a moral solution to the question of inherited privilege. Characters are therefore partly developed and characterized by how they relate to money.
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