Characters in American novels of the 20th century

How do you think Route 66 became so popular to all Americans? Route 66 is well known because it led people from Chicago to Santa Monica. It was also called "THE ROAD" by many people. The Blue Highway was also unique. Let's find out how the Blue Highway became so popular and how it became so amazing! Did you know that Route 66 is very popular? Blue Highway is popular because it represents America where people can open a small business or even a tourist attraction. It also takes you back to what it used to look like in the 1900's. Also around every corner of the famous Blue Highway there was always something new, different, and interesting. Blue Highways connect small cities and rural areas that may once have had dreams…

half of the 20th Century. This novel highlights the struggle of several black women during a time when equal rights weren’t shared and the African-American race was typically discriminated. This is proven in the novel as Celie, the main character is “constantly subjected to abuse and discrimination for being ugly.” (spark notes) She does little to change this and in the beginning of the novel, she struggles fight back Alfonso, who frequently abuses her. This is a common theme in the first half…

displaying the significance of the character Jay Gatsby. Gatsby is a delusional dreamer that achieved the American dream and used its purpose to impress his love. The reason the author decides to put the word “Great” before Gatsby is to signify Gatsby’s popularity in the story. Everyone sees Gatsby as one of the wealthiest men alive. He throws parties all night to showcase his grandeur. I believe the reason why the author chose Gatsby’s name as the title is because it also shows the general…

Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel is a fictional novel focusing on the women of the De La Garza particularly the conflict between Tita and Mama Elena her mother. Right away the conflict between traditions of what a woman should be, Mama Elena telling Tita she could not marry until she died, and Tita desiring to be with the man she loved. There are many other relationships important in the story for example Tita and Rosaura pointing out the difference between desirable and undesirable…

James Weldon Johnson's novel The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man from 1912 is a relic and can be considered a work of political significance. Johnson engages with the racial dynamics and power structures of early 20th century America which, without saying, was very complex and tense. Through his work of fiction, the novel provides a nuanced and unblinking portrait of the challenges faced by those navigating the rigid "color line" that divided American society. At the core of the novel is a…

Renaissance, countless black artists, novelists and musicians helped contribute to the newly forming facets of African American existentialism and cultural autonomy in a nation that had denied their independence for centuries. In her novel Their Eyes Were Watching God, novelist Zora Neale Hurston illuminates the unique experience of a black woman’s search for meaning in both the African American and feminist rights movements of the mid 20th century . Their Eyes Were Watching God was published in…

How has the process of detecting intertextual relationships between texts also enriched your understanding of a significant cultural issue or idea? Bridget Jones's Diary and Bridget Jones: “The Edge of Reason" (2000) interrogate these assumptions and characterize as a particularly American myth the ideal of self-perfection. The novels recall in contrast the world of Jane Austen's fiction, in which self-perfection is treated ironically. –Kelly A. Marsh, Contextualizing Bridget Jones, West…

Not by chance does the real Ocean View Avenue sound similar to the fictional Cannery Row. Further descriptions in the book describe Steinbeck’s understanding of the culture of Ocean View Avenue and how it inspired his characters and also is a sign of the times and even provides a look into some important 20th century stereotypes. A great example of this is in the character Lee Chong. According to Yuko Kawai, common 20th century Asian stereotypes include Asians being grocery store owners,…

The Impact of Harper Lee Harper Lee is considered to be one of the most adept and brilliant writers of the 20th century because of her controversial novels that expose the American south for its dark reality and its prejudiced people. Go set a Watchman, continues a story from Lee’s first book --To Kill a Mockingbird -- and incorporates topics of race and class in society. The piece also continues the clashing ironic themes of great change and lack of change. Although the book created dissension…

effectively expresses the most common themes of the genre: self-identity only becomes solidified through men, society doesn’t allow black women to have control of their own bodies, a woman’s happiness in a household is the last priority, and the assertion of black woman’s power is threatening to whit individuals. Another work of merit that expresses these same themes is Alice Walker’s “The Color Purple”, the novel walks the reader through Celia’s multiple struggles in which she struggles with…