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A Bad Man Study Guide

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by Stanley Elkin
About 7 pages (2,051 words)
A Bad Man Summary

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Themes

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.....

This is a free excerpt of 135 words. This section contains 399 words. This Short Guide contains 2,051 words (approx. 7 pages at 300 words per page).

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Copyrights
A Bad Man from Beacham's Encyclopedia of Popular Fiction and Beacham's Guide to Literature for Young Adults. ©2005-2006 Thomson Gale, a part of the Thomson Corporation. All rights reserved.



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