Religion and God

In The Diamond as Big as the Ritz, religion is portrayed as an ideal that has completely lost its appeal and is dominated by dreams of wealth and class. The small village of Fish alludes to the Bible and Christianity in many ways, including the 12 "disciples" that inhabit the village and their near worship of the train that passes their village. Thus, the village of Fish can represent traditional Christianity or religion. However, Fish is small, barren, and abandoned - similar to a ghost town. The Washington estate is the exact opposite - extravagant, large, and always occupied. The fact that the Washington estate was built up by selfishness and greed and at the same time is more successful than Fish indicates that traditional religion has been cast off in favor of a new "religion" - the worship of wealth and materialism.

This is further illustrated by the symbolism inside the Washington estate. Braddock holds prisoners in a small chamber dug underneath the ground. These prisoners attempt to persuade John to let them free or join them in the prison, paralleling mythological greek demons from Hell that attempt to charm mortals to join them. Even at one point, a prisoner shouts "Come on down to Hell!". Thus, this underground chamber is Hell, while the Washington estate above represents Heaven. Furthermore, Braddock represents the new God of wealth and materialism that has overtaken the traditional Gods. He has complete power of anyone that enters his world, or his estate, shown by not only the prisoners, but his restrictive control over Kismine's actions and John's life. Furthermore, when Braddock attempts to bribe God with a large diamond, there is no response, suggesting that God no longer watches over the world. Braddock's worship of wealth and materialism causes God to abandon him, leading to his own demise.