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The Man with the Golden Arm Study Guide

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by Nelson Algren
About 8 pages (2,242 words)
The Man with the Golden Arm Summary

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Characters

The key to Algren's characterization lies in his oft-repeated lines from Whitman which call for the author to identify with his characters — "Here among West Division Street drinkers I felt that, did I deny them, I denied myself." The novel's protagonist, Frankie Macjinek, is called Machine because of his "golden arm," referring to his dealing method. He is a doomed veteran with a Purple Heart who is caught up in a hopeless entanglement of transgression, confession, and atonement. Frankie's alter ego is the comic character Sparrow (Solly Saltskin); together, Frankie and Sparrow form the male friendship dyad which is the staple of so much popular picaresque storytelling. What makes them different from one another is the degree to which head rules heart, as Frankie is by nature emotional, expressive, and vulnerable. He has been traumatized.....

This is a free excerpt of 135 words. This section contains 486 words. This Short Guide contains 2,242 words (approx. 7 pages at 300 words per page).

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Copyrights
The Man with the Golden Arm 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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