Trimalchio is a fictional character in Petronius’s Satyricon, a Roman work of satire. He is a formerly enslaved person who has attained immense wealth through dubious means and flaunts it with extravagant, often vulgar, displays. His parties are legendary for their lavishness, excess, and ostentatious displays of wealth, designed to impress his guests and reinforce his newly acquired social status. He represents the anxieties and social climbing of the nouveau riche, often insecure beneath the veneer of opulence. His character serves as a satirical commentary on the excesses and social mobility of the Roman Empire.
This character offers a valuable lens for understanding Jay Gatsby, the central figure in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. Like Trimalchio, Gatsby throws extravagant parties, filling his mansion with guests, most of whom he doesn’t even know. Both characters use material possessions and lavish displays to project an image of success and acceptance. Gatsby’s motivations, like Trimalchio’s, stem from a deep-seated insecurity and a desire for social acceptance, particularly to win the love of Daisy Buchanan. The comparison highlights the superficiality of their wealth and the hollowness beneath the facade of their opulent lifestyles. Examining Gatsby through the lens of Trimalchio illuminates the social commentary embedded within Fitzgeralds novel, revealing critiques of materialism, class aspiration, and the American Dream.
