by Peter Bruck
time experiences . Afte r hi s servic e a s a coo k i n th e Merchan t
Marine, Elliso n starte d writin g Invisible Man in 194 5 whic h too k
him five years to complete.24 Betwee n 195 4 and 1956 he published
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several othe r stories . I n 196 4 h e brough t ou t a collection o f im -
portant essay s an d interview s entitle d Shadow and Act, whic h
reveal hi s political , socia l an d aestheti c view s durin g th e pas t tw o
decades.26 I n 195 5 h e wa s give n a chanc e t o begi n wor k o n a
second nove l throug h a Pri x d e Rom e Fellowshi p o f th e America n
Academy o f Art s an d Letters. 27 Afte r mor e tha n tw o decade s i t
has yet t o appear .
"King o f th e Bing o Game," which togethe r with "Flying Home"
has been ranke d amon g Ellison's "fines t stories," 28 i s the last shor t
story befor e th e publicatio n o f Invisible Man. Thi s i s on e reaso n
why fo r Edwar d Guereschi , author o f th e onl y critica l study whic h
is exclusivel y devote d t o a n analysis of "Kin g of the Bing o Game, "
this stor y provide s a revealin g compariso n wit h th e late r mor e
comprehensive work :
It is his last work (published in 1944 ) before th e appearance of the novel
in 1952 . ... The protagonist .. . has kinship with an early model. Nameless,
recently transplante d fro m th e South , h e ha s a low psychi c "visibility "
("Who am I?") and a high social "invisibility" ("Don't take too long, boy.")
that render him vulnerable an d easily victimized. More significant ar e the
series of transformations he undergoes to effect self-knowledge .
This quotatio n take n fro m th e introductor y passag e i s ope n t o
several objections :
(1) Gueresch i himsel f draw s attentio n t o th e fac t tha t afte r th e
publication o f "Kin g o f th e Bing o Game" eight years were to pas s
until Invisible Man finall y appeare d i n 1952 . Wha t h e doe s no t
mention, however , i s tha t Elliso n i n 194 4 ha d no t ye t starte d
writing his novel at all .
(2) Ther e i s n o logica l connectio n betwee n th e quotatio n fro m
Ellison's stor y "Don' t tak e to o long" and socia l invisibility, eve n if
the for m o f addres s ("boy" ) i s though t t o impl y contemp t o r a t
least condescensio n o n th e part o f th e whit e man. The white master
of ceremonie s i s jus t admonishin g th e blac k protagonis t no t t o
waste his time an d tha t o f everybod y els e present .
(3) Certainl y Gueresch i i s righ t i n assumin g a close relationshi p
between psychi c visibility an d the problem of finding one's personal
identity. Th e familia r questio n "Wh o am I? " can be interpreted a s
a sig n o f th e hero' s ques t fo r ego-identity , whic h normall y is , a s
social psychologist s assur e us , a life-lon g process . Thi s vie w ha s
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also been adopted by Ellison himself: "If you aren't on an ego trip
from th e cradle t o the grave, you aren't nobody."30 Th e problem
is tha t th e quotation fro m Ellison' s story , isolated a s it stands in
Guereschi's argument , doe s no t imply a value judgment: i t doe s
not mea n tha t th e protagonist's psychi c visibility i s low; nor does
it mean that the protagonist doubt s his psychic visibility altogether.
It only means that he has not yet found his personal identity.
(4) Th e statement tha t h e undergoe s a "series (my italics) of
transformations," i s certainly tru e for the hero of Invisible Man; it
cannot b e applied, however , t o "Kin g o f the Bingo Game." The
story i s abou t on e single attemp t b y th e hero a t effectin g self -
knowledge. Guereschi , then , doe s no t tak e int o accoun t th e dif-
ference in quantity whic h exists between a full-length nove l and an
extremely shor t stor y o f les s tha n te n pages . A s both ar e epic
genres, thi s differenc e doe s no t forcibl y impl y a differenc e i n
quality.31
Guereschi's assumptions , then , ar e questionable, an d in som e
respect, eve n erroneous . The approach chose n i n this essa y is dif-
ferent. Wit h the aid of some categories borrowed fro m bot h social
and individual psycholog y (e.g. accommodation or identity forma -
tion), wit h th e aid of som e utterance s b y th e autho r an d by a
close readin g of the text itsel f thi s paper trie s to achieve a three-
fold aim : to analyse the structure of the story, to analyse its social
background, and, in relationship wit h this , to discuss the psycho-
social problem of trying to find one' s ego-identity.
Ellison's story 32 doe s no t yiel d it s whol e conten t afte r on e
reading only . Ye t t o th e attentive reade r it s structur e become s
clear fairl y soon . As there is very little action in the story, the con-
flict occur s withi n th e protagonist himself . The story consist s of
one basi c situatio n whic h ca n be divide d int o tw o parts wit h a
perfectly smoot h transitio n betwee n th e two . Th e firs t par t
(pp. 271-273) relates how the protagonist, afte r goin g to a movie
house an d after providin g himsel f wit h som e bing o ticket s in the
hope o f winning enough mone y t o pay a sorely needed doctor for
his wif e Laura , is rather inattentivel y watchin g the same fil m fo r
the thir d time . I n th e second par t (pp . 273-279) the protagonist
is on the stage, i.e. in the very centre of action: after scoring bingo,
he is allowed to try for the jackpot of $36.90.
Though bot h part s are told from th e protagonist's point of view
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(he is the narrator of the story), they differ i n character which can
be seen from th e manipulation o f acting time and narrating time in
both parts . I n th e firs t par t (abou t 30 % of th e text ) actin g tim e
and narrating time are almost identical; the scene is viewed through
the protagonist' s eye s an d describe d realistically . I n th e secon d
part (abou t 70 % of th e text ) narratin g tim e i s longer tha n actin g
time. A s a result , thi s par t represent s a rathe r rar e exampl e o f
expansion, whic h i s typica l o f th e stream-of-consciousnes s tech -
nique.33 Thi s handlin g o f tim e whic h indicate s th e introspectiv e
way o f depictin g event s in th e secon d par t o f th e story , i s also a
proof o f th e narrator' s feveris h stat e o f mind . Elliso n doe s no t
describe thing s now as they exist in reality, but as they exist in the
protagonist's consciousnes s whic h thu s become s th e focu s o f th e
story. Event s ar e conceive d rathe r tha n perceived . Th e scene be-
comes surreal rather than realistic.
The protagonist o f "King of the Bingo Game" is neither an ideal
hero no r a n anti-hero . Lik e al l othe r character s bot h blac k an d
white, he is unnamed (hi s wife Laur a bein g th e onl y exception in
the story) . H e wa s reare d i n th e Sout h and , lik e so many othe r
people durin g th e Grea t Migration , h e walke d the traditional road
to freedom:34 lik e the protagonist of Invisible Man and like Ellison
himself, he lef t th e rura l Sout h wher e blac k solidarity was greater
(c
f. p . 271 ) bu t whit e dominatio n als o more rigid , fo r th e mor e
industrialized North . Bu t instea d o f findin g th e Promise d Lan d
there, he has to experience the depersonalizing influence o f North-
ern slum s where human emotion s ar e cripple d and where folk tie s
are eroded. A s he possesses no birt h certificat e whic h i s called by
Deutsch a petty, bureaucratic technicality,35 h e is officially a non-
person, a nobod y unabl e t o ge t a job. Thus his personal situatio n
which i s also that o f th e protagonis t i n "Slick Gonna Learn,"36 i s
representative o f tha t o f s o many people living in a slum. It means
being caught i n a vicious circle whic h i s characterized b y poverty,
denial o f individuality , denia l o f work , denia l o f medica l care ,
death.
The protagonist' s situatio n i s desperate . A s a consequenc e o f
Laura's diseas e an d hi s ow n predicamen t h e trie s his luck i n th e
bingo gam e fo r th e thir d tim e already . Th e implication tha t tw o
unsuccessful attempt s mus t li e behin d him , clearl y show s tha t
there i s no othe r wa y ou t o f hi s dilemma. And to some extent his
plight a s well as his bad luc k accoun t fo r th e fac t tha t th e prota -
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gonist ha s probabl y give n himsel f u p t o stealin g fiv e bing o card s
which means that he is determined t o cheat during the game: "The
guy a t th e doo r wouldn' t lik e it i f h e kne w abou t hi s having five
cards. Well , no t everyon e playe d th e bing o game; and eve n wit h
five card s he didn't have much of a chance." (p. 273) For him, the
function o f th e gam e has been reverse d fro m th e ver y beginning :
instead o f representin g som e kin d o f entertainment , i t i s deadly
serious for him.
This i s th e socia l an d persona l backgroun d agains t whic h th e
story mus t b e seen . I t ha s a n ope n beginnin g an d set s in in th e
movie theatre : "Th e woma n i n fron t o f hi m wa s eatin g roasted
peanuts tha t smelle d s o goo d tha t h e coul d barel y contai n hi s
hunger." (p . 271) Among the several comments on this location of
the story , th e interpretation s o f th e movi e hous e a s darkene d
womb o r as modern psychi c confessional 37 ar e rather far-fetched .
Less ambitious , bu t mor e convincin g is the view o f Marcu s Klein
who calls the movie theatre " a cave of muffled noise s and shadowy
images, presentiments o f reality." 38 Th e impact the film exert s on
the audience , is powerful: "wide-eyed " (p . 271 ) tw o me n besid e
the protagonis t watc h a scene wher e a woman almos t in the nude
(at tha t tim e al l majo r part s wer e playe d b y whit e people ) i s
finally discovere d an d tie d loos e b y he r saviour . Thi s scen e i s
certainly i n shar p contras t wit h th e tabo o place d upo n whit e
womanhood.39 Moreover , a s it i s the onl y scen e selecte d fo r de-
scription b y Ellison , it may be supposed t o be symptomatic of the
whole film : mad e u p ou t of clichés, it is just an effective mean s of
extracting mone y fro m th e black audience. The inferior quality of
the film correspond s t o th e extremel y realisti c presentatio n o f
other details: "Yesterday he had seen a bedbug on a woman's neck
as they walke d ou t int o th e brigh t street . Bu t explorin g his thigh
through a hole i n his pocket, he found onl y goose pimples and old
scars." (p . 272 ) Thu s fo r Ellison , two sentence s ar e sufficien t i n
order t o characteriz e th e movi e house, its lack of hygiene, and the
protagonist's dishevelled state.
The effect o f th e film o n the protagonist is somewhat different .
Though h e i s les s fascinate d b y i t tha n th e othe r visitors , "th e
movie provoke s his fantasy an d he imagines what would happen if
the peopl e o n th e scree n refuse d t o pla y thei r assigne d roles." 40
But h e realize s at onc e tha t thi s is sheerly impossible : "Bu t the y
had it all fixed. Everything was fixed." (p . 272) Again the personal
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and th e socia l levels are connected . No t onl y ar e th e film and the
significantly whit e bea m fro m th e projection roo m fixed, "al l fate
is fixed and fixed against him."41 Without going into further details,
the autho r allude s to th e fac t that in a society governed by whites
a blac k ma n is denied freedom . H e has no possibility o f escapin g
to fulfi l th e role expectations held by the whites — a fact whic h to
some degre e foreshadow s th e outcom e o f th e story . Ellison' s ex-
position, hi s depiction o f place , characters an d socia l backgroun d
(black-white relationship), then, is highly condensed.
While th e fil m i s shown, Laur a i s steadily o n th e protagonist' s
mind: "Laur a 'bou t t o di e 'caus e w e got n o money fora doctor"
(p. 271) ; "Laura wa s on his mind" (p . 271); "For Laura, though,
he had to have faith" (p . 273); "Wonder how much Laura's doctor
would cost. " (p . 273) Holding the five bingo cards in his hands, he
is trying t o keep just ahead of his hopelessness.42 Thi s feeling only
leaves him when, after scorin g bingo, he is on the stage. Whereas in
the firs t par t h e wa s completely invisibl e in th e crow d blac k lik e
himself, h e i s no w clearl y visibl e t o everybody . H e is filled wit h
hope: fo r once , "the fea r ha d left, an d he felt a profound sens e of
promise, a s thoug h h e wer e about t o b e repaid fo r al l the thing s
he'd suffere d al l his life." (p . 274 ) Th e bingo wheel gains "a para-
mount importance" 43 fo r him : stil l doubtful , h e presses the but -
ton and thus "he is for the first tim e embracing his own destiny,"44
realizing tha t "a s long as he pressed th e button , h e coul d contro l
the jackpot. He and only he could determine whether or not it was
to be his." (p. 275)
The experienc e o f feelin g powe r leads him to an unexpected in-
sight: wit h hi s finger on the button, he thinks to have his own fat e
in hi s hands . Wit h a sudde n "burs t o f exaltation " h e exclaims :
"This is God," thinkin g t o posses s "th e mos t wonderfu l secre t i n
the world. " (p . 275 ) "Fo r th e protagonis t i t i s a grea t spiritua l
experience, a moment o f epiphany." 45 Th e audience is rigid, even
hostile, a s i f i n conspirac y wit h th e whit e maste r o f ceremonie s
against th e blac k protagonist' s strang e behaviour , eithe r o f the m
incapable o f understandin g hi s messag e o r his strange behaviour .
The protagonis t i n hi s all-obliteratin g ecstas y i s absolutel y con -
vinced that it is their fault the y cannot understand him.
Feeling powe r give s hi m a ne w sens e o f self . Power had bee n
denied to him all his life long, especially in the South. For survival's
sake, he lik e al l black people , had t o adop t a n attitud e of accom-
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modation which John Dollard, in his classical study Caste and Class
in a Southern Town, define d a s "the acceptance of frustrating cir -
cumstances without open resistance."46 A s soon as the protagonist
feels power , he is no longer a p
risoner o f anxiet y but has courage
to def y th e whit e man . When th e master o f ceremonie s tell s him
"to mak e a choic e becaus e h e ha s take n to o long, " he , i n th e
ensuing dialogue (p . 275), interrupts the white man twice, putting
leading questions t o him . He who is used to deference forms , who
is practiced i n sayin g "yes , sir, no, sir" to white people, is the one
to determin e the situation: he takes the white man by surprise and
finally leave s hi m speechless , (p . 275f ) Th e traditiona l role s i n
white-black relationship , those of master and slave, have thus com-
pletely been reversed.
The hero' s behaviou r i s stil l motivate d b y hi s desir e t o hel p
Laura, but thi s desire is gradually transforme d int o a quest for his
self: "Th e vagu e face s glowin g in the bingo lights gave him a sense
of himsel f tha t h e ha d neve r know n befor e .. . Thi s i s me, h e
thought. Le t th e bastard s yell." (p. 277) The n h e becomes awar e
of th e fac t tha t h e i s undergoin g a transformation whic h i s thus
indicated i n th e text : "Someho w h e had forgotte n hi s own nam e
... Tha t nam e ha d bee n give n hi m b y th e whit e ma n wh o ha d
owned hi s grandfather a long lost time ago down South." (p. 277)
Forgetting one' s nam e i s a familiar , i f no t obstrusiv e symbo l of
an identit y crisis : th e sam e occur s t o Fre d Daniels , protagonis t
of Richard Wright's "The Man Who Lived Underground." (1944)47
In th e contex t o f "Kin g o f th e Bing o Game," this motif i s at the
same tim e a symbo l o f th e protagonist' s probabl y unconsciou s
wish o f repressin g th e past, of forgetting the previous condition of
servitude. Forgetting his name, Hartmut K. Selke writes, is forgetting
"the ver y symbo l o f the determination of his life by others."48 A s
name an d Negr o traditio n ar e issues of identity, th e hero i s thus
necessarily confronte d wit h findin g a ne w identit y fo r himsel f
which is expressed b y the crucial question: "Wh o am I?" (p. 277),
which lead s t o th e ver y cor e o f th e story : "Well , he didn' t nee d
that ol d name ; h e wa s reborn . H e a s The-man-who-pressed-the -
button-who-held-the-prize-who-was-the-King-of-Bingo." (p . 277)
