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| Plot Summary of The Man with the Golden Arm |
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"‘It's all in the wrist 'n I got the touch', Frankie-Machine-Majcinek tells his sidekick Solly-Sparrow-Saltskin.
Frankie is a morphine addict from his World War 2 days, the king of the card dealers - a machine in his consistency - dreaming of becoming a big-band drummer like Gene Krupa, or Dave Tuff. But there's the morphine and his crippled wife, Zosh, to contend with.
Frankie is looking for someone other than Zosh or Sparrow; something other than morphine to depend on. He almost finds it with, bar-girl, Molly Novotny, but has it snatched away by Sparrow's coerced betrayal.
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Charles Smyth, Resident Scholar
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"A weak willed inner city back ally hustler, whos only real talent is his dexterity with a deck of cards, becomes hooked on drugs. And as his tragic and short life spins out of control I found the city of Chicago (circa 1949) constantly stealing the show. Nelson Algrens' vivid decriptions of the citys underbelly can not be matched for there gritty realism. So much so that to really enjoy and understand this book I would recommend reading it twice. With the second reading paying closer attention to the minute details that the author has incorporated in the discribing the city that few people had ever seen much less heard about. This my friend is real writing! Mr Algren is truly an over looked and very talented writer who deserves more credit."
Henry Winningham, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of The Man with the Golden Arm |
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Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Tone of book?
- depressed
Time/era of story
- 1930's-1950's
Poverty, surviving
Yes
Kind of living:
- general poverty story
Strong "rags to riches" component?
Yes
Family, caring for ill
Yes
Who is sick?
- wife
because he/she is
- physically ill
Internal struggle/realization?
Yes
Struggle over
- vague finding self/purpose in life (i.e. no plot to book)
Crime & Police story
Yes
Story of
- police corruption
- sympathetic "criminals" on the run
- life in drug culture
Is this an adult or child's book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Druggie/Wino problems?
- alcohol
- drugs
Main Character
Gender
- Male
Profession/status:
- gambler
Age:
- 20's-30's
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events?
Yes
Ethnicity/Nationality
- White (American)
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
- hard edged
Sense of humor
- Cynical sense of humor
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
Physique
- average physique
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 20's-30's
- 40's-50's
Profession/status:
- police/lawman
Eccentric/Smart/Dumb:
Yes
Eccentric:
- obsessed
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- an average amount
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
- mean, arrogant
Sense of humor
- Cynical sense of humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- average physique
Setting
How much descriptions of surroundings?
- 9 (quite a lot)
United States
Yes
The US:
- Midwest
City?
Yes
City:
- dirty, grimy (like New York)
- Chicago
Misc setting
- prison
Style
Person
- mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death?
- moderately detailed references to deaths
Sex in book?
Yes
What kind of sex:
- vague references
Unusual Style:
- a lot of play on words
- a lot of stream of consciousness
Amount of dialog
- significantly more dialog than descript
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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