Everything you need to understand or teach A Bad Man by Stanley Elkin.
In addition to its disturbing inquiries into the possibility of justice in the American penal system, A Bad Man treats the fundamental Elkin themes of obsession and commercial ventures.
Feldman inherits obsessive vending skills from his lunatic father, an itinerant peddler who challenged Leo to sell the "unsalable thing." His career is one of re-defining the limits of what can be done with merchandising. As his enterprises succeed, he ventures further and further into the uncharted and exotic. Eventually, his "basement" store, which originated as serendipity, becomes a vending place for many illegal activities including abortion referrals, prostitution arrangements, firearms sales to fanatics, and illegal drug deals. For Feldman the motive is not profit, but expanding the range of his enterprise for the sake of adventure and entrepreneurship. His excitement is illustrated when he rhapsodizes about one of his most outrageous deals, "this is it. This is" &mdash...
FOLLOW BOOKRAGS:
Stanley L(awrence) Elkin