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 by the War and by an environment which denies emotions, and is...