"Motherless Brooklyn"

Paper Summary:

This paper introduces and discusses the novel "Motherless Brooklyn" by Jonathan Lethem. Specifically, it discusses the novel's setting, inhabitants and neighborhoods, and how they portray a truly "motherless" community. In "Motherless Brooklyn," author Lethem creates an atmosphere that any reader can quickly discover. The paper shows that the flavor and very essence of Brooklyn are captured in a way that makes the reader more sympathetic to the people and places of the community, and how Brooklyn has evolved over the years from neighborhood to one of the most important New York boroughs. It concludes that Brooklyn will always be different, and no mother will ever claim the community for her own.

From the Paper:

"Anyone who has never visited Brooklyn might just think of it as another New York borough, but Lethem's descriptions and clear love for the area show this is not the case. Again, he notes there are rules regarding how each race sees each other, but they are not the rules that most people think of when dealing with the differences between cultures. They are more prejudiced, and yet they create a blend between cultures that is hard to see just about anywhere else. Lethem notes, "It was a form of racism, not respect, that restricted blacks and Asians from every being stupid like a Mick or a Polack. If you weren't funny you didn't quite exist" (Lethem 68)."

More papers on "Motherless Brooklyn":

• Book Review # 36614 : "Motherless Brooklyn"
• Analytical Essay # 83801 : "Jonathan Lethem's "Motherless Brooklyn"
• Case Study # 140978 : "The Brooklyn Bridge: A Case Study In Design"

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