Bell's preoccupation seems to be with creating memorable characters, not with addressing social issues. In The Washington Square Ensemble, as in his later novels, urban social problems such as organized crime and the drug traffic provide a backdrop against which the characters can be seen. For example, Johnny and his group are drug dealers, but they are portrayed no less sympathetically than the policemen. Bell describes their attitudes and their methods of evading both the law and rival groups, but his tone is matter of fact, not judgmental.
Bell likewise adopts a pose of.....
This is a free excerpt of 94 words. This section contains 185 words. This
Short Guide contains 4,224 words (approx. 14 pages at 300
words per page).
Read the rest of this Short Guide with our The Washington Square Ensemble Access Pass.
