Greek Mythology

In “The Diamond as Big as the Ritz,” Fitzgerald makes many allusions to Greek mythology. The town the main character, John, comes from is called Hades, who is also known as the god of the underworld. It’s ironic because that is a more poor place, and when the Washington’s get blown up Kissmine asks if they will see her father, Braddock Washington there. In this scene, she confuses hell with the place John is from. It is kind of ironic because Braddock Washington would have rather died than part with all of his riches and become a someone of normal status. If he went to Hades then he would have just became normal but instead chose to die and possibly go to “hell,” which is basically the same place. The prep school for rich kids John gets sent to is called St. Midas’ Prep. This is another allusion to Greek mythology, Midas was a man who wished to be rich all his life, and one day a God granted him with the ability to turn anything he touched into gold. He was happy and content with his new life and became the richest man in the world. This gift came with was actually a curse, as he was unable to touch anyone he loved without basically killing them. He was not able to bring food to his mouth and eat it or hug his children without turning them into gold. In the end, Greek mythology plays a large role in this novel because Fitzgerald alludes to it on several occasions.