King of the Bingo Game | King of the Bingo Game

At a glance:

Author: Ralph Ellison
First Published: 1944
Type of Plot: Social realism
Time of Work: The mid-twentieth century
Setting: New York City
Principal Characters: The protagonist, The announcer
Genres: Social realism, Short fiction
Subjects: African Americans, New York, North America or North Americans, Northeast, U.S., United States or Americans, Gambling, New York City, Alienation, Poverty or poor people, Violence, Unemployment or unemployed workers, City life, Games, Luck or misfortune
Locales: New York, NY

A young black man sits in a movie theater in New York waiting for the featured film to end. He has come to the big northern city from North Carolina but has been unable to find work because he does not have a birth certificate. His wife is ill, and he is hoping to win the bingo game that is played at the end of the feature so that he can take her to a doctor. He has not eaten all day, and the smell of the peanuts that another viewer is eating increases his hunger. Two men near him are drinking liquor, and he wishes that he had some, remembering how people used to...

King of the Bingo Game | King of the Bingo Game

At a glance:

The Story

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