# What Urban vs. Rural Life means in A Hazard of New Fortunes

> The contrast between the Marches' New England roots and their new life in New York City serves as a central theme, with the city representing both opportunity and moral decay, while the countryside symbolizes lost simplicity and integrity.

## Explanation

The contrast between the Marches' New England roots and their new life in New York City serves as a central theme, with the city representing both opportunity and moral decay, while the countryside symbolizes lost simplicity and integrity.

Howells contrasts his own transition from Cambridge and Boston to New York, and uses the Marches' house-hunting to depict the realities of urban housing for the middle class in the 1890s.

The Marches' move from Boston to New York highlights the contrast between the orderly, familiar life of a smaller city and the chaotic, diverse, and stimulating environment of the metropolis.

The conversation highlights the tension between Boston's regional identity and New York's national appeal, reflecting March's and his wife's attachment to Boston versus the pull of New York.

The Marches' debate about moving to New York versus staying in Boston exemplifies the tension between the established, genteel life of Boston and the more dynamic, commercial environment of New York.

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