Questions about Doctorow's rendition of a gangster world, his parody of the American success story, and his indictment of the violence in the underworld of American society, are apt to stimulate a wide-ranging critical discussion of Billy Bathgate.

1. What qualities of mind and feeling does the author create for the title character and narrator of this novel?

2. How is sympathy maintained for Billy despite his involvement in the crime and violence of the underworld?

3. Given the terror of Billy's childhood, why doesn't the author reveal the scars of the adult narrator? Or is it better for Doctorow to leave the psychological consequences implicit in the recollections of the survivor?

4. How does the realistic style of this novel invoke the depths of American myth about crime families and material success?

5. What elements of Billy Bathgate are most available for a rendition on the screen, and where does...