The Irony of King Midas and Gatsby

     Earlier this week, we brought up the story of King Midas and his golden touch, and I realized that his personality was a lot more like the glorious and mystical character of Gatsby than I had initially thought.  An interesting concept however is that these characters both pursue the gift that the other character already has - Gatsby has wealth but pursues the love of Daisy while King Midas has a loving daughter but pursues wealth and gold.  Their pursuits of what the other possesses highlight a profound irony in their stories.

    King Midas is illustrated as a wealthy ruler, but his greed leaves him frustrated with his dream of excessive power and wealth.  When granted his wish, he believes he has attained ultimate power.  However, this power quickly isolates him from his daughter and his family, and he only realizes it after his daughter turns into a spiritless golden statue.  The irony of the gift of the golden touch is that it becomes a curse, robbing him of the genuine human connections he once had.  On the other hand, Gatsby is extremely wealthy and throws parties in hope of winning the love of Daisy.  The irony here is that despite his enormous wealth, he is unable to win back Daisy's love, which is his true desire.  His pursuit of Daisy, driven by his wealth, leads to tragic consequences, emphasizing the emptiness of materialism.

    In the end, both characters misunderstood the concept that wealth and love cannot be interchangeable - one cannot be traded for another. The pursuit of these desires, when not grounded in genuine human connection and values, leads to a sense of emptiness and tragedy, reinforcing the irony in their stories.


Comments

  1. Grace SunOctober 15, 2023 at 11:19 AM

    I really like how you connected King Midas and Gatsby and also realized that their goals were similar yet opposite at the same time. I like the concept you put that wealth and love cannot be interchangeable and how it reinforces the irony of both King Midas and Gatsby's story.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Luan BerishajOctober 15, 2023 at 1:23 PM

    I liked how you related the two characters showing their similarities, showing that Midas and Gatsby were trying to get something that was impossible, leading to their demise.

    ReplyDelete

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