NYC is one of the wealthiest cities in the world. The whole image of being a New York City native implies some sort of lavish lifestyle to outsiders. But perhaps what some don’t realize is that New York City is really a tale of two cities, with the “uptown” New York City being the wealthier, more well known one. Even so, I believe that this “uptown” idea of the city is simply a facade. Both Breakfast at Tiffany’s and Yasmina Reza’s God of Carnage epitomize the superficiality of the “wealthy” New York City.
Yasmina Reza’s “God of Carnage” shows what I believe to be a truthful representation of the “wealthy” New York. Reza showcases two wealthy families, who clearly live the “upper class” lifestyle. But behind the glamour they surround themselves with, they are regular people, whose emotions run as deep and raw as the rest of us “common folk”. This play has meaning to me because it highlights the superficialities of wealthy lifestyles. The “front stage” of the wealthy elite is largely based on what society demands of them. Being a member of the upper class comes with it an expectation to be above everyone else, and be at a higher level of sophistication and intellect. But these expectations are not always achievable, as shown in both “The God of Carnage” and “Breakfast at Tiffany’s”.
To me, “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” represents everything that I loathe about the whole social structure of New York City. Holly Golightly tries to attain the fantasy of wealth and being in the upper class. In her search for it, she is blind to realize that it does not exist. All of the people around her seem to use her, in their own quest to attain a higher level of social standing. Holly’s dear Jose even abandons her when he realizes that her image doesn’t fit his. These idealized notions of class and wealth that she seeks turn out to be a facade, and her quest for them costs her her identity. In the end, Ms.Golightly learns the hard way that grasping for fantasizes and dreams disables the heart from appreciating what is real and good.
I sometimes feel as though we live in a city with people constantly trying to move upwards in a broken game.The eternal quest for wealth and status is for most, an unattainable goal. But still, people try to attain the status of being in the upper class, without realizing that all the game pieces that is the puzzle of New York City have already been divided and dished out. While battling for the way to the top, many lose a part of themselves, as did Holly. But for the lucky few that do get to the top, they attain their goals only to find that it truly is one big game, with each player constructing their own realities, and disguising their true selves. At what point do we ask ourselves, is this endless quest for “something more” really worth it?
-Jalissa Quigley
Fleetwood Mac- Dreams
