Billy Bathgate (Masterplots II: American Fiction Series, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: E. L. Doctorow
- First Published: 1989
- Type of Plot: Adventure
- Time of Work: The 1930’s
- Setting: New York City and upstate New York
- Principal Characters: Billy Bathgate, Dutch Schultz, Bo Weinberg, Abbadabba Berman, Drew Preston
- Genres: Long fiction, Bildungsroman, Adventure
- Subjects: New York, North America or North Americans, Northeast, U.S., United States or Americans, Crime or criminals, Murder or homicide, New York City, Betrayal, 1930’s, Adultery, Assassination, Gangsters, Organized crime
- Locales: New York, NY, Onondoga, NY, Saratoga, NY
The Novel
Billy Bathgate centers on the career of the notorious gangster Dutch Schultz as told through the sympathetic voice of his fifteen-year-old acolyte, Billy Bathgate. Schultz represents to Billy a way of getting out of the slums, of distinguishing himself as an important figure by joining a powerful and much-feared organization. Indeed, the novel begins with a breathless rendition of a punishment favored by gangsters: the disposal of a rival by encasing his feet in cement and drowning him. The victim is Bo Weinberg, once a trusted Schultz associate, now a man...
[The entire page is 3152 words long]
Join eNotes
Over 3,500 study guides, question and answer forums, literature criticism, reference content, and much more!
Navigate
See Also
