New York City is an iconic hub of activity and is one of the most distinctive cities in the United States. Many people, mostly young people, move to the metropolis each year in search of fame and fortune, and in the early sixties Joan Didion adopted the role of one such traveler. Throughout her personal essay “Goodbye to All That,” she constructs a dichotomy between her reality and her narrow view of youth by contrasting her affluent upbringing with what is now her lower-middle-class status after living alone in such a demanding environment; she assesses her family's wealth and suddenly fallen comfort level, then compares the difference by recognizing her relentless and perhaps naive belief that she will undoubtedly succeed in the big city. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Dido lays the groundwork for this contrast by first establishing that her current bleak life situation does not correlate with her prosperous family history. For example, she remembers moments from her childhood that made her aware of her family's wealth. She describes herself as "...a kid who always had an uncle on Wall Street and who spent several hundred Saturdays first at FAO Schwarz and getting shoes fitted at Best's" (231). This information prepares the reader's mind to determine how Didion's life has changed as she moves her life to the center of the big city. That being said, it should be noted that not long before, Didion had stated that she "never told [her] father that I needed money because then he would have sent it" (229). . The author explicitly admits to her lack of money while also stating that she tolerated the continuation of her simple situation. Finally, Didion sheds light on her literal life situation by inviting the reader's gaze into her gloomy apartment. She describes that "...there was nothing at all in these four rooms except a cheap double mattress and box springs" (232). This provides the final compelling point to change the reader's thinking; Didion transitions her descriptions of her affluent childhood to evidence of her slightly poor but relentless state of mind, and finally to a raw description of the financial challenges she faced. Overall, Didion candidly recounts how her lifestyle radically transformed from the comforts of wealth to a tight or even lacking budget in order to set the scene for the reality of being an early 20-something in New York. The author contrasts what she sets up as the reality of her situation with the caught-up point of view of a twenty-something by providing the reader with her overconfident perspective on finance. She targets this common mindset and highlights it by openly stating that many people still transitioning into full adulthood experience this naivety. In an almost accusatory tone, she explains this false assurance by asserting that "...when we are twenty-two or twenty-three years old, we imagine that later we will have a high emotional balance, and that we will be able to pay whatever it costs,” (228-229). Didion's mention of money acts as an indicator that her parents' wealth serves as her backup plan and that only her subconscious is aware of this due to her apparent sense of invincibility. In addition to this, Didion attributes her earlier inability to understand the seriousness of insufficient funds to her youthful immaturity. Continuing the theme of money, Didion explains that "at that time, earning a living seemed like a game to me, with rules.