What Makes Sammy Run? (Masterplots II: American Fiction Series, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: Budd Schulberg
- First Published: 1941
- Type of Plot: Black humor
- Time of Work: The 1930’s
- Setting: New York City and Hollywood
- Principal Characters: Sammy Glick, Al Manheim, Kit Sargent, Julian Blumberg, Sidney Fineman, Laurette Harrington
- Genres: Long fiction, Dark comedy
- Subjects: Psychology or psychologists, Jews or Jewish life, Corruption, Success or failure, Money, Wealth
- Locales: New York, NY, Hollywood, CA
The Novel
What Makes Sammy Run? tells of the rise to riches and fame of Shmelka Glickstein, who when he was five years old began to change his name to Sammy Glick. The action spans the 1930’s, moving from New York to Hollywood (and briefly back to New York again). The title not only names the novel’s central character but also asks the novel’s major question: What makes Sammy do what he does?
Sammy’s tale, which is told by a newspaperman named Al Manheim, proceeds chronologically, with flashbacks when other characters tell Manheim their Sammy stories....
[The entire page is 2056 words long]
See Also:
- - What Makes Sammy Run? summary and study guide in the quickNotes.
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