King of the Bingo Game

King of the Bingo Game Summary | Detailed Summary

"King of the Bingo Game" is a short story that takes place within a movie theater located in a northern city.

The story's main character is an unnamed man. This man is not at the theater to see the show - he has seen it already - but rather to participate in the bingo game that will take place after movie ends. The man is hungry and although the woman next to him is eating peanuts and the men on his other side are drinking wine, he is not comfortable asking them to share their food.

The man thinks about how life in the North is different from his southern hometown; in the South, people tend and help each other out and stick together more. The nameless man can use some help. He does not have a job. His wife, Laura, is seriously ill, and they cannot afford a doctor.

The man's thoughts are interrupted when he realizes his favorite scene in the movie is about to begin. He quickly loses interest in the scene, however, and his thoughts turn to how much better the movie would be if the woman in the scene he had just been watching had taken off her clothes.

Soon, the man falls asleep and dreams of his boyhood in the South. In his dream, he is walking along a railroad trestle when he sees a train approaching. He runs off the trestle as quickly as he can possibly go, only to find the train has left the track and is following him down the street. Adding to his horror is the fact that white people are lining the street, laughing at him while he runs from the train.

The man awakes from his dream, screaming, which prompts the man next to him to offer him a drink. The man accepts the bottle in the paper bag and, after taking a drink, the man realizes it is not wine, like he originally thought, but whiskey.

Soon after, the movie ends and the man prepares for the bingo game. The man has five cards and while he fears this may get him in trouble with the theater's manager, he is desperate to win. He has trouble keeping up while the numbers are called. When he finally realizes he has a bingo, it takes him several minutes to come forward.

When the man makes his way to the front of the theater, he begins to worry that he has made a mistake and that he hadn't won after all. The bingo caller checks his card and verifies that he has indeed won.

As the winner of the bingo game, the man has an opportunity to spin a wheel for the chance to win the day's jackpot: $36.90. He receives his instructions: push a button to make the wheel spin, if it lands on double zero, he will win the jackpot. The man begins to panic and tries to leave the stage. The bingo caller calls him back and begins to make fun of the man's rural southern roots.

When the bingo caller places the button in the man's hand, he reviews his strategy. The man is certain that giving the wheel a short spin will increase his chances of winning. Even so, when he pushes the button, the man seems to become entranced by the bright lights and spinning of the wheel. He continues to press the button, feeling as though as long as he continues to do so, he will remain in control of the jackpot.

Before long, the audience grows impatient and begins to yell for the man to leave the stage. Someone advises him to not take too much time, and even though the man nods in agreement, he continues to stand on the stage, pressing the button. While he does this, the man has a revelation: he believes that he has found the existence of God.

The bingo caller places a hand on the man's shoulder, telling him he has taken too long. The man brushes his hand off, and then, realizing the inappropriateness of this action, calls the bingo caller over. He explains to the bingo caller that he just wants to win the jackpot and asks the caller to let him show everyone how to win.

While he continues to press the button, the man looks at the audience, recognizing the fact that they are ashamed of his actions. He ignores this and decides it is alright for them to be ashamed of him, because most of the time, "he was ashamed of what Negroes did himself".

When the crowd's screams become louder, the man begins to realize that the wheel is controlling him just as much as he is controlling it. He also begins to realize that, if he stopped pressing the button, he might lose and his wife would die. He implores his wife to live, an outburst that momentarily quiets the crowd.

The man realizes that his outburst has caused his nose to bleed. He also begins to think that the audience's impatience is caused by their desire to win the jackpot. The man decides that he will never let them in on his secret, instead he will keep the wheel spinning forever, since as long at the wheel continues to turn, his wife would be safe.

He begins to imagine that he is running along the subway tracks with Laura in his arms, just ahead of an 'A' train. While people are imploring him to stop, he knows that if he does, he and Laura will almost certainly be killed by the oncoming train.

The man is jolted from his daydream by the sound of singing. The audience is singing songs to mock the man, but he remains firm in his resolve to complete his task. Soon, the singing fades, and the audience breaks into applause. The man thinks for a moment that he has won the jackpot, but realizes that could not be possible since his thumb is still pressing the button.

The man sees two uniformed men approaching him and tries to avoid them by running from one side of the stage to the other. The men finally wrestle the man to the ground and, despite his protest, they pry the button from his hand. The wheel stops at double zero and the man believes he has won. When the curtain goes down, one of uniformed men delivers a violent blow to the man's head. It is at that moment that he realizes that his luck has run out.