Analysis Of King Of The Bingo Game

“King of the Bingo Game” is a short story by the 20th century American writer Ralph Ellison. The story is set somewhere in the northern part of the United States. The story was written in 1944 so it is most likely set in that time period. It follows the unnamed protagonist who has moved from the South to the North. He needs to win a bingo jackpot in order to save a woman named Laura, who most likely is his partner or wife. The protagonist cannot get a job because he does not have a birth certificate. The Bingo game is about to start in a movie theater after the screening of a movie. The protagonist is well prepared with five cards instead of one which is against the rules of the game. He has a hard time managing all the cards at the same time; all the same, eventually he fills one of them out and calls out bingo.

To win the jackpot he needs to spin the wheel and the wheel must stop between the double zero. He starts to push the button which is located at the end of the cord. He knows that short and quick spin is the best way to go. He has seen many others win jackpots that way. All the same, once he starts spinning the wheel he does not want to let it go. It gives him hope and it enables him to control his destiny. The protagonist thinks that as long as he spins the wheel, there is a chance that he will win a jackpot and save Laura. He is deluded and considers himself King of the Bingo Game. He keeps spinning the wheel even though he is told by the host of the game to let it go already. The crowd gets impatient as well. Two security guards are called and they wrestle the button from him. The wheel stops at double zero but the protagonist is knocked out by a blow to his