American literature essay. Literary analysis of works and characters - Sykalo Evgen 2023
The Diamond as Big as the Ritz: Glitz and Folly: Greed's Delusionary Grandeur
F. Scott Fitzgerald
"The Diamond as Big as the Ritz," a satirical novella by F. Scott Fitzgerald, immerses us in a bizarre parody of American materialism and money obsession. Fitzgerald skillfully crafts a cautionary tale that glitters with irony and throws a harsh light on the folly of chasing illusory grandeur by exposing the absurdity and disastrous effects of unfettered greed through the grandiose yet fatal pursuit of wealthy entrepreneur John T. Unger.
Desperate for "a billion dollars as quick as lightning," Unger represents the American Dream perverted into a hideous form of self-idolization. His quest for wealth goes beyond just securing his financial future; it becomes a neurotic need for total control and a naive belief that he is a deity. His fixation, the "Big Diamond," turns into a hideous representation of this twisted ambition, dazzling with emptiness and offering a false paradise constructed on excess materially.
Fitzgerald skillfully uses comedy to highlight the ridiculousness of Unger's quest. The protagonist's constant cunning is shown with a mix of dark overtones and humor, emphasizing the moral bankruptcy that drives his desire. This includes his manipulation of time travel and his exploitation of societal biases. The novella's sarcastic edge is further enhanced by the caricatured depictions of social elites, their meaningless talks, and their concern with superficiality, which highlight the hollowness that results from greed eating away at the American Dream.
Symbolism gives the narrative's critique even more nuance. The title diamond, enormous and delicate, represents the allure and peril of riches. Its enormous size, which surpasses any usefulness, highlights the folly of Unger's ambition, and its susceptibility to even a minor abrasion symbolizes the unstable nature of his empire, which was founded on deceit and greed. Another powerful symbol that highlights the futility of Unger's attempt to avoid the inevitable degradation and the ultimate limits of human ambition is time, which he has bent and controlled.
The story's climax—Unger's spiral into insanity and the unavoidable collapse of his diamond-fueled empire—offers a compelling critique of the results of unchecked ambition. Fitzgerald makes us face the ridiculousness of pursuing a goal tainted by money as the sparkling exterior cracks to reveal the moral and emotional emptiness beneath.
"The Diamond as Big as the Ritz" is more than just a parody. It turns into a timeless indictment of the ways in which the American Dream can be distorted and a cautionary tale about the dangers of unbridled consumerism. Fitzgerald reminds us that true fulfillment comes from pursuing meaningful human connection, ethical grounding, and a purposeful pursuit of life's actual riches—not from Unger's monstrous desire of fortune.