The Great Gatsby and King Midas
Gatsby, The Modern Day Midas
Gatsby is portrayed as a modern day King Midas in the novel, The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald.
King Midas was a Greek man who was greedy and wished for the “golden” touch – everything he touched would turn to gold. When this was granted, he realized that the power didn’t make life any better and that it just harms him. Gatsby was similar to Midas in the sense that he took things for granted and turned small money into wealth.
In the novel, The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby is a businessman who has turned his small amount of saving into a million dollars, which is very similar to when King Midas turns everything into gold. Gatsby is a very well known businessperson with lots of money after ‘stealing’ from many people. Gatsby is also known for creating social bonds as a bonds man in West Egg and knows how to cheat people out of money. (http://poetry.rapgenius.com) Gatsby was a wealthy man who sought out the opportunity to replicate his wealth while King Midas was a Greek man who was granted the wish of having a golden touch. This wish was granted by the Greek god, Dionysis, as a reward for an unknown reason; at first, Midas rejoiced and loved the gift because it brought him fortune. ("The Midas Touch is the "golden touch””) Gatsby and Midas are similar in the sense that they both enjoyed have a fortune to their name even though it would only harm themselves in the end. King Midas is greedy Greek man who took a single wish for granted just like Gatsby takes his wealth for granted. Midas was a thoughtless man who didn’t care for anyone but himself and his own happiness. He decided that having the “golden touch” was more important that anything else, including his own daughter. ("The Chronology and Historical Context of Midas.") Gatsby does something similar because he just cares about the parties he throws and the people he interacts with. It is said that in both the myth of King Midas and The Great Gatsby, there is a
Gatsby is portrayed as a modern day King Midas in the novel, The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald.
King Midas was a Greek man who was greedy and wished for the “golden” touch – everything he touched would turn to gold. When this was granted, he realized that the power didn’t make life any better and that it just harms him. Gatsby was similar to Midas in the sense that he took things for granted and turned small money into wealth.
In the novel, The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby is a businessman who has turned his small amount of saving into a million dollars, which is very similar to when King Midas turns everything into gold. Gatsby is a very well known businessperson with lots of money after ‘stealing’ from many people. Gatsby is also known for creating social bonds as a bonds man in West Egg and knows how to cheat people out of money. (http://poetry.rapgenius.com) Gatsby was a wealthy man who sought out the opportunity to replicate his wealth while King Midas was a Greek man who was granted the wish of having a golden touch. This wish was granted by the Greek god, Dionysis, as a reward for an unknown reason; at first, Midas rejoiced and loved the gift because it brought him fortune. ("The Midas Touch is the "golden touch””) Gatsby and Midas are similar in the sense that they both enjoyed have a fortune to their name even though it would only harm themselves in the end. King Midas is greedy Greek man who took a single wish for granted just like Gatsby takes his wealth for granted. Midas was a thoughtless man who didn’t care for anyone but himself and his own happiness. He decided that having the “golden touch” was more important that anything else, including his own daughter. ("The Chronology and Historical Context of Midas.") Gatsby does something similar because he just cares about the parties he throws and the people he interacts with. It is said that in both the myth of King Midas and The Great Gatsby, there is a