Billy Phelan's Greatest Game: Analysis of Major Characters
"Billy Phelan's Greatest Game" explores the complex lives of its major characters set against a backdrop of gambling, moral dilemmas, and familial relationships in Albany's underbelly. The protagonist, Billy Phelan, is a young pool hustler and bookmaker who navigates the shadows of society while grappling with his ethical boundaries, particularly when the powerful McCall family requests a service that conflicts with his principles.
Supporting him is Martin Daugherty, a newspaper columnist and friend who embodies the journalistic spirit of his time. Martin's deep-rooted connections to Albany and his struggles with his father's legacy add layers to his relationship with Billy. The narrative also delves into the troubled past of Billy's father, Francis Phelan, an alcoholic drifter whose return disrupts Billy's life and offers a chance for self-discovery.
Other pivotal characters include Morrie Berman, a shady figure in the criminal world who complicates Billy's loyalties, and Charlie McCall, the kidnapped son of a powerful family whose abduction catalyzes the unfolding events. The story also features Bindy and Patsy McCall, who exert their influence to control Albany's gambling scene, and Melissa Spencer, who connects Martin to his father. Together, these characters navigate a world rife with tension, loyalty, and the impact of personal choices, making the narrative a rich exploration of human relationships and ethical conflicts.
Billy Phelan's Greatest Game: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: William Kennedy
First published: 1978
Genre: Novel
Locale: Albany, New York
Plot: Regional
Time: 1938
William (Billy) Phelan, a young gambler and bookmaker. Billy Phelan is a pool hustler and a familiar figure among Albany's shadowy nighttime crowd. A gambler with a gift for sizing up his opponents, he earns his living on the fringes of society but in the center of a netherworld in which he moves comfortably and securely. He operates as a bookie with the permission of the powerful McCall family. When the McCalls ask him to perform a service for them that would violate his personal code of ethics, Billy must decide where his allegiance lies.
Martin Daugherty, a newspaper columnist and Billy's friend. Martin has spent his life in Albany and grew up next door to Billy's father. A journalist in the Damon Runyon tradition, he is at ease with mobsters, gamblers, and prostitutes. He sometimes has accurate visions and premonitions. He is the son of a successful playwright, and he struggles throughout the book with his conflicting feelings toward his father. Martin plays a central role in Billy's story, both by placing a bet with him that leaves Billy sorely in need of money and by chronicling the events surrounding Billy's confrontation with the McCalls.
Francis Phelan, Billy's father, an alcoholic drifter. Francis abandoned his family when Billy was nine. His reappearance in Albany after years of aimless drifting forms one of the book's important subplots. Billy grew up without his father's guidance, and his meeting with Francis provides him with an opportunity to measure himself against the man whose absence shaped the course of his life. What he finds is an alcoholic vagrant, battered and ill from his life on the road and little more than a shell of the man Billy remembers.
Morrie Berman, an acquaintance of Billy. Morrie is a shady figure on the fringes of Albany's criminal underworld. He is a former pimp, a gambler, and a grave disappointment to his family of tailors and political radicals. the McCall family suspects him of having a part in the kidnapping of Charlie McCall and asks Billy to spy on him. Billy's conflict over where his loyalties lie makes Morrie a crucial factor in his story.
Charlie McCall, the son of the city's most powerful family. Charlie is a likable young man grown soft from a life of indulgence. His kidnapping sets the story in motion.
Bindy McCall, Charlie's father. Bindy runs all the gambling in Albany. He exercises absolute control over access to the town's clubs and the right to take bets.
Patsy McCall, Bindy's brother and Charlie's uncle. Patsy and his brother Matt are the most powerful men in the city. Patsy is a ruthless behind-the-scenes manipulator who controls Albany's political life. To free his nephew, he will use all of his considerable influence.
Melissa Spencer, an actress and Martin's former lover. As a young woman, Melissa had been the lover of Martin's father and the inspiration for his best-known play, in which she is now appearing in Albany. A beautiful, sensual woman, she has been an odd link between Martin and his father.
Edward Daugherty, a playwright and Martin's father. Although he appears only near the end of the book, his presence is felt throughout the segments focusing on his son. Now senile and in a nursing home, he was once a man capable of turning the scandal that drove his wife mad into a successful play.
Emory Jones, the editor of Martin Daugherty's paper, the Times-Union. When Charlie McCall is kidnapped, it falls to him to convince the rest of the press to delay printing the story until the McCalls approve its publication.