Washington Irving: Almighty Dollar

Posted by admin on Wednesday, March 16, 2022

Washington Irving Money Quote saying the power of the dollar makes us devoted to it in this country. Washington Irving said:
  

 

“The almighty dollar, that great object of universal devotion throughout our land” — Washington Irving

  

 

In this quote, Washington Irving is commenting satirically on the high value Americans place on money. The best interpretation is:

• Irving refers to the dollar, i.e. monetary wealth, as being “almighty” or all-powerful in influence over society.
• He suggests the pursuit and worship of the “dollar” is the great, overriding goal and focus of devotion for people across the entire United States.
• Irving portrays the culture as one almost religiously centered around the attainment and significance of financial gain above all other aims.

Overall, the quote conveys Irving’s view that in early American society, the accumulation of wealth and dollars had become the paramount motivation and driving force for the population as a whole, which he presents in a wry and critical manner through his word choices. The quote satirizes the primacy of money in the new nation.