Rich Boy addresses a prevalent issue in many of the books that we've read this semester. Robert Vishniak leaves his working class Jewish family to find wealth and a higher social class while losing himself in the process. It is only a beautiful woman from his home neighborhood who makes him remember his roots and creates the turn within the novel.
As we have seen with virtually all of the novels we have read this semester, characters cannot exist within a higher social class without losing their identity entirely. Robert may have some oft he things that he has always dreamed of, but he is also in a constant battle to prove himself to the people that he begins to surround himself with. This paradigm is one that is unfortunate but also rings true in The Rise of Silas Lapham and The Great Gatsby just to name a few. Because Rich Boy is our last novel I wanted to comment on the fact that I truly believe that one cannot move to a higher social standing without a loss of their inner being and a constant fear of losing their new social standing. Robert serves as a reminder to us that money is not where the importance lies, but morals and values. However, he also shows us that when money is present, one will stop at nothing, whether or not that means leaving everything they've ever known, to try and achieve that higher social standing.
After looking up more information on Sharon Pomerantz, Rich Boy, I also happened to notice that "Rich Boy" is the name of a rapper...I found one his most popular songs, "Top of The World." It seemed appropriate and I thought you would enjoy...
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