The Man with the Golden Arm | Characters
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...
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