Common Motifs In The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald

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The Great Gatsby and The Americans share many common motifs. Three major ones that I noticed were social classes, racism and loneliness. The Great Gatsby highlights the definite social class differences between East Egg and West Egg. Nick says, “I lived at West Egg, the well-less fashionable of the two, though this is a superficial tag to express the bizarre and not a little sinister contrast between them.” (Fitzgerald 5) The East Egg is known as the place where the wealthy congregate. Jordan Baker, Tom Buchanan and Daisy Buchanan were all born into a wealthy family and definitely got a jump-start in life. They fall into the highest social class, enjoying the benefits of affluence, opportunities, and social respect. With family money to support them, they get to live their dreams without the burden of a mundane job. Nick Carraway and Jay Gatsby live in West Egg, the place known for its new money. In the Americans, there is a picture of a blonde lady with many others behind her. The main …show more content…

A time in America when African Americans were not only segregated socially, but by law as well. Robert Frank, in his book, “The Americans” touches on a common theme of segregation, specifically segregation of African Americans. This book is published in the 1950’s. Thirty years later, and no strides were taken for the acceptance of African Americans. The same racially biased mindset was still present as you can see through Tom’s quote. This is portrayed through a picture in New Orleans where white people are sitting in the front of the trolley while the supposedly inferior African American race, sits in the back of the bus. Not only were they separated legally; the window beams separated them. This racial bias separated America as a country for more than thirty