Linden Hills is modeled after Dante's Inferno in that the characters met correspond in quality to the rings of hell in Dante's famous epic poem. The idea is that while for some people, capitalism and the American Dream represent hope for a better future. But for the characters in Linden Hills, a primarily black suburb, the truth is that the American Dream is more like a nightmare. The parallel between this novel and Dante's horrifying account of the depths of hell is not accidental. It's designed to cause a sublime tone to unnerve and discomfort the reader.
The novel asks the reader to consider for a moment what the American Dream asks of its participants. For one thing, Naylor drives home that the community is driven apart by that quest for a better life. They forget their common ancestry in suffering and with that, the community loses its heritage and its union. This, combined with the already insidious effects of racism (especially systemic racism) cause the citizens of Linden Hill to experience daily life as a kind of hell.
Another interesting way to analyze the plot of the novel is to liken the prospect of peace and joy in Linden Hills with Dante's comedy, so that the question arises: "What would have constituted 'heavenly' behavior?" The answer is implied by the declining sins. In Naylor's universe, to get to heaven, you can't go there alone. You have to get there by working hard for others, and by helping others lives to be more important than one's own life. Perhaps if the community resisted the dominant narrative of the American Dream, they might have found a deeper sense of community that would have been heavenly.
