Once upon a time, there was a man
who wanted to escape the constraints of time. Mr. Washington in "The
Diamond as Big as the Ritz" feels that his immense wealth gives him the ability
to escape death, "bribe..God"(108), and even escape time; he thinks
his wealth will last for today, tomorrow, and forever. Wealth gives
Mr.Washington a skewed perception of reality that allows him to believe that he
can possess anything including the following: pink elephants, unlimited life,
isolation from society. In fact, everyone’s perception is skewed by his or her
material desires. By using well-crafted rhetoric, Fitzgerald illustrates how we
are all slaves of our desires and even Moses can't free us from the true
realities of life.
The author’s extravagant
description of Mr. Washington’s life represents his skewed perception of
reality. It’s impossible for someone to actually have a car to be “embroidered
with jewels”(79) and be made out of “gold”(78) yet Fitzgerald exaggerates the
Washington’s wealth to reveal how wealth can create a realm where the
impossible might seem possible. However, wealth can never make escaping reality
a possibility.
Mr. Washington is also a symbol
for the moral corruption that occurs because of desire. His wealth has caused
him to believe that imprisoning people in a “bowl” and killing guests is moral
behavior. Desire and wealth not only
skew people’s perception but also their morality.
