The Symbolism In King Of The Bingo Game

"King of the Bingo Game" tells the story of the separation between whites and black in America. A young black man, the main character of the story, who remains nameless throughout the story, cannot find work. The king of bingo seems to only have his wife as a friend and she is extremely ill ,to the verge of being on her death bed. Pressured by his wife's illness, he visits a movie theatre where he takes part in a Bingo game, hoping to win. As a winner by playing Bingo, he is then given a chance at the jackpot. In "King of the Bingo Game" most African Americans were new to the city life compared to where they have come from. The author tells a story about a man's relationship with fate, but not just any man, a black man's story and the struggle

First symbol, the bingo wheel, we've all wanted to win the jackpot on the big wheel in Las Vegas or spin the carnival wheel to see what free gift you had landed on. It was in ancient literature that the whole idea to a wheel spun by the “goddess of Fate.” The wheel would be able to tell the fate of any human being. In todays modern world, “The Wheel of Fortune determines whether you win a brand-new car or a trip to Hawaii ”(Shmoop). The point is, spinning wheels are symbolically linked to fate. We observe that, “He felt vaguely that his whole life was determined by the bingo wheel; not only that which would happen now that he was at last before it, but all that had gone before, since his birth and his mother's birth and the birth of his father” (32). The main character quickly blames the bingo wheel for all the cruelty he has experienced in his life (and that his ancestors have experienced). This fits in with the bingo wheel as the wheel of fortune. As you read the story, shows how the main character's yearning is not for money, although he needs it to save his wife, the main character's only meaning in life is to save his wife. “Having the wheel stop at the correct number, as a result, is a matter of life or death for him, and once he begins pressing the wheel, he believes that he has control over life and death”(Symbols/King of the Bingo Game).

First, the main character, he is in a terrible situation, far from home, hungry, poor and his wife may die due to illness. We don't know his full past ,or know how much he or Laura’s hardships can be related to race. the author tells a story of an unfortunate individual who has suffered, and that the bingo game represents his chances of escaping his situation. As the author goes on to explain, "He felt a profound sense of promise, as though he were about to be repaid for all the things he'd suffered all his life. Trembling, he pressed the button" (42). If we look back at the time and the age of this short story his race and suffering are associated with one another. The bingo game comes off as a means for the main character to overcome and rise above his unpleasant situation. Our main characters luck is only temporary, because, Policemen come into play and fight the button away from him and beat him over the head. “Regardless, the main character is still the focus of the unfair world and a system in which he lives. The wheel lands on the evidently winning "double zero," but that's unluckily exactly the amount of money he is going to get” ("Protagonist in King of the Bingo Game.”). With still being broke, he will not have enough money to pay Laura's medical bills. By the end of the story, the main character is in an even worse situation than where