Bill Gorton and the Vienna fight

When I read Bill Gorton's (a new character introduced in chapter 8) story about the fight he saw in Vienna I had mixed feelings. On page 77 Gorton is describing to Jake Barnes a boxing fight he saw between a "nigger" and a local boy from Vienna. I become upset hearing that the local people would not give the African American boy his prize money because he has beaten the white boy. Of course I felt easier that Mr. Bill Gorton and his friends helped the African American boy.

In my opinion, this scene really shows the universality of the novel. It shows that prejudices and injustices not only happened in the United States, but also in Europe. It also shows the timelessness of the novel because there are still certain people who act this way towards different races. Unfortunately inequality will never really disappear completely.