The Rich Brothers is a tale of two brothers, their sibling rivalry and their contrast in everything, including worldly success and failure. While Pete is rich and Donald is poor at the end of the story, we wonder who of the two is really rich in the real sense of the term.
Pete, the oldest of the brothers, is rich and successful. He exemplifies the dream of the American middle class: a pleasant family life with a wife and two daughters, a house, a sailboat and whatever else money can buy him, of the success that his hard work in the real estate business could achieve. for him. Donald, the younger brother is the complete opposite. Live alone and survive painting houses. Sometimes he lives in a Berkeley ashram and lives in debt.
Pete comes to rescue Donald from his difficulties and donates money to him right at the beginning of this story. The two of them are driving in a car when Pete gives them $ 100. However, there is a subtle subtext of sibling rivalry in the background during their childhood and also when they grow up. Donald, for example, reminds Pete that as a child he wanted to kill him, to which Pete responds, “kids always do those things.”
Pete isn’t upset or perhaps doesn’t like talking about his personal life with Donald, but Donald asks him if he ever dreams of his younger brother. Pete, in fact, has a recurring dream that he is blind and needs his brother’s help. Perhaps the author has metaphorically hinted at the blindness inherent in material success and the need for genuine spiritual assistance from people like Donald.
The story advances even further when we discover more contrasting characteristics of the two brothers. Enter a Webster character who tells a mythical story from his own dream experience involving the gold mine and greed. Donald gives away $ 100 that Pete gave him. But Pete kicks him out of the car when he finds out what he’s done.
Meanwhile, Pete wonders what he would answer to his wife when she asked him about her brother. You may not be worried. Material wealth has blinded your conscience; his sensitivity: “And this way, smiling, nodding to the beat of the music, he drove a mile or so and pretended he wasn’t slowing down anymore, he wasn’t going to back up, he could keep driving like this alone, and have the correct answer when his wife stood before him at the door of his house and asked, “Where is he? Where is your brother? “(Wolff 269)
Wolff’s story parallels the biblical story of Cain and Abel. One brother is spiritual, God-oriented, helps and reaches out to others, while the other is materialistic, has the least concern for God and may even go to the extreme of trying to kill or hurt his brother. The contrast in the character of the two brothers forces us to ask ourselves, who is the rich brother? The one who has money or the one who lacks material wealth, but is endowed with human virtues? Who really needs whom? Does Donald really need money? If he really needed money, why would he give it to Webster without a second thought? Pete can only pretend he doesn’t need Donald. He can only pretend that he can go alone and will answer his actions towards his brother.
The author through the contradictory characters of the two brothers has tried to investigate the true meaning of wealth. A person can remain unsatisfied despite all his wealth, as shown through the dream metaphor where Pete is blind and in need of help. Donald is godly, happy, and doesn’t hold a grudge against Pete and is therefore quite capable of helping Pete learn to be a good person.