Daddy Wolf (Masterplots II: Short Story Series, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: James Purdy
- First Published: 1961
- Type of Plot: Character study
- Time of Work: The 1950's
- Setting: New York City
- Principal Characters: Benny
- Genres: Short fiction
- Subjects: Poverty or poor people, Emotions, City life, Veterans, Loneliness
- Locales: New York, NY
The Story
James Purdy's concerns about the vanquished in American society reach full cry in this monologue by a veteran of the Korean War. Speaking from a phone booth, apparently in the hallway of the rat-infested tenement in which he lives, Benny addresses someone who appears to be waiting to use the phone. He asks the person to be patient a little bit longer because he is attempting to get the operator to reconnect him with a woman with whom he has been talking. From his position in the phone booth, he also can see into his flat, the door of which has been left open.
...[The entire page is 907 words long]
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