Wealth and Class Division in Swan Song: Old Money vs. New Money on Nantucket

In Elin Hilderbrand's Swan Song, wealth and class division form the novel's central tension. The story contrasts the established, quietly powerful "old-money" families of Nantucket—embodied by Chief Ed Kapenash and his circle of friends known as the Castaways—with the flamboyant, aggressively ambitious "new-money" couple, Bull and Leslee Richardson. The thematic claim is that wealth, regardless of its source, creates rigid social barriers that both sides enforce through exclusion, manipulation, and insecurity; the resulting conflict ultimately destabilizes the community and leads to personal and financial ruin.

This analysis traces the theme across three distinct plot developments, examines key character and symbol connections, and addresses the novel's nuanced treatment of class.

The Castaways and the Richardsons: A Clash of Worlds

The novel's early chapters establish the insular world of the Castaways—Chief Ed, his wife Andrea, and their friends Addison, Phoebe, Jeffrey, and Delilah. They are settled, comfortable, and deeply suspicious of newcomers. When Coco, the Richardsons' personal concierge, arrives at dinner, the group immediately discusses the Richardsons' purchase of 888 Pocomo Road and their desire to join the exclusive Field and Oar Club. Delilah, who has been waiting nine years for membership, sees the Richardsons as a threat. Andrea admits she would prefer to evaluate the couple before inviting them into "every aspect of our lives." This reluctance reflects an old-money instinct: social capital must be earned slowly, not bought with a twenty-two-million-dollar house.

The Richardsons, meanwhile, use their wealth to force entry. They host extravagant parties, hire a local sailing star as their yacht captain, and attempt to charm the island's gatekeepers. Yet their efforts often backfire—Leslee mispronounces "Pocomo," Bull calls Eddie "inelegant," and their display of luxury (the yacht Hedonism, the fleet of speedboats) feels vulgar to the locals. The class conflict here is not simply about money; it is about how money is used. Old Nantucket values discretion and tradition; new money demands visibility and instant belonging.

The Jackson Property: Exclusion and Negotiation

A second major plot point deepens the class divide: the development of Jeanne Jackson's waterfront property. Real estate agents Eddie Pancik and Addison Wheeler see an opportunity to buy three lots, build spec houses, and flip them for massive profit. They approach Bull Richardson as a potential investor, hoping he will provide the capital. Bull initially appears interested, but behind the scenes he tries to cut Eddie out of the deal, claiming Eddie is "redundant" and "inelegant." Addison, a member of the Castaways, hesitates to betray his friend, but the temptation of a fifty-fifty split with Bull nearly wins.

This negotiation exposes the fault lines within the old-money group itself. Eddie, though a local, comes from a working-class background (New Bedford) and has a criminal record for running a prostitution ring. He is both ambitious and insecure—desperate to prove his worth. Bull exploits that insecurity, using class-based insults to divide and conquer. The scene in the hedge where Eddie overhears Bull and Addison discussing his removal is a turning point: Eddie realizes that no matter how much money he makes, he will never be accepted by the top tier. The class system is not porous; it is enforced from above.

The Fire and Its Aftermath: Wealth as Destruction

The climax of the novel—the burning of the Richardsons' house—literalizes the destructive potential of unchecked wealth and class resentment. Leslee confesses to setting the fire for insurance money, having hidden Australian cash on the yacht. But her motivation is deeper: she tells her attorney, "I hate this island and everyone on it." The arson is a desperate act of rebellion against the social exclusion she experienced.

Yet the aftermath is complex. Leslee goes to prison, Bull loses everything, and Coco—the young woman who started as their employee—emerges as the true winner. She writes a screenplay based on her experiences, sells it to Warner Bros. for seven figures, and achieves the success the Richardsons coveted. The class system is revealed as arbitrary: money can be made and lost, but status is fragile. The old guard (Eddie, Addison) survive, but their business deal collapses. The island community, like the Kapenash family, must reckon with the fact that wealth, whether old or new, offers no protection against moral failure.

Character Connections

Chief Ed Kapenash represents the old-money establishment. As police chief, he is both a gatekeeper and an observer. His retirement party underscores his deep attachment to Nantucket's beauty and community—a world the Richardsons can never truly own.
Coco Colleen Coyle is the class intermediary. Raised in poverty, she learns to navigate wealthy circles through manipulation and charm. Her journey from personal concierge to successful screenwriter shows that class can be transcended through talent and luck, but also through shrewd opportunism.
Leslee Richardson is the tragic new-money figure. Her desperation for acceptance drives her to recklessness. She cheats at pickleball, flirts with other men, and finally burns her own house down. Yet Hilderbrand gives her a human dimension—she misses her children, she makes friends in prison.
Eddie Pancik embodies the anxiety of social mobility. He is trapped between admiring the Richardsons' wealth and resenting their treatment of him. His eavesdropping scene reveals that class insecurity is not limited to the poor.

Symbols of Division

Several symbols reinforce the wealth and class theme:

The Pickleball Kitchen Rule: In the novel, the "kitchen rule" in pickleball becomes a metaphor for social boundaries. The kitchen is a no-volley zone—like the invisible line that separates new money from old. Leslee is accused of cheating by stepping into the kitchen, just as she tries to cross social lines without permission.
Amalfi Lemons: The lemons that appear in the Richardsons' home represent imported luxury—beautiful but out of place. They are also used as a scent in the fire accelerant, linking wealth's perishable beauty to destruction.
The Garden at Triple Eight: The Richardsons' garden is a stage for their parties, but it is also a site of tension. The octagonal hot tub where Eddie feels trapped and Romeo confronts Benton becomes a microcosm of the social pressure cooker.
Swan Song: The title itself evokes a final performance. For the Richardsons, their summer is a swan song—a doomed attempt to buy a place in a world that will never accept them. For Ed, his retirement is also a swan song, but one rooted in genuine love and loss.

Complexities and Contradictions

The novel resists a simple "old money good, new money bad" binary. The Castaways are not without prejudice: they gossip, they exclude, and they view the Richardsons with thinly veiled contempt. Delilah's food pantry work coexists with her desire to join an exclusive club. Andrea's guilt over buying a dress for a party while volunteering shows the moral discomfort of privilege.

Similarly, the Richardsons are not entirely villainous. Bull stays loyal to Leslee after her arrest. Leslee's confession is a moment of raw honesty. And Coco's success—built on the bones of her employers' disaster—raises questions about who really exploits whom. The class division is systemic, not personal; both sides are trapped in a game of status that benefits no one in the end.

Study Questions

1. How does the Field and Oar Club function as a symbol of class division?

The club represents the ultimate barrier between old and new money. Membership is not based on wealth but on social connections, athletic prowess, and generational ties. Delilah's nine-year wait and the Richardsons' inability to jump the queue illustrate that class status is guarded by unwritten rules that money cannot override.

2. In what ways does Coco's background give her an advantage over the Richardsons?

Coco's poverty taught her resourcefulness and emotional intelligence. She reads people well, adapts to social situations, and keeps her own ambitions hidden. Unlike the Richardsons, who flaunt wealth, Coco uses her low status as camouflage. Her ability to save Bull's password and later write a screenplay from her observations is a form of class rebellion—the outsider uses her invisibility to win.

3. Why does Eddie feel threatened by Bull, and how does that affect his decisions?

Eddie's working-class roots make him sensitive to being seen as inferior. Bull's dismissal of him as "inelegant" and "redundant" reinforces Eddie's fear that he will never be accepted. This insecurity leads him to pursue the Jackson deal aggressively, almost losing his wife and his integrity. Eddie's arc shows that class anxiety can drive self-destructive behavior.

4. How does the fire at 888 Pocomo Road serve as a metaphor for the class conflict?

The fire is both literal and symbolic. It destroys the physical manifestation of the Richardsons' wealth and their attempt to purchase belonging. Yet it also cleanses: after the fire, the community reasserts itself (Kacy stays, the Castaways rally around Ed). The accelerant (perfume and lemon scent) emphasizes that the conflict was always about surface—fragile identity masking insecurity.

5. Is Leslee Richardson a victim or a villain? Support your answer with evidence from the text.

Leslee is both. She is a victim of her own loneliness and the island's exclusion—she genuinely tries to connect (inviting the Castaways, donating to the food pantry). But she is also a villain: she commits arson, endangers Coco (the boat incident is ambiguous but exploitable), and shows no real remorse. Hilderbrand presents her as a complex figure who is damaged by the very wealth she wields.