Legs: Analysis of Major Characters
"Legs: Analysis of Major Characters" delves into the intricacies of key figures within a narrative centered around John Thomas "Legs" Diamond, a notorious gangster of the Prohibition era. The text explores Diamond's rise from a second-rate thug to a powerful bootlegger, characterized by his ruthless ambition and lavish lifestyle. Accompanying him is Marcus Gorman, a young attorney whose fascination with Diamond’s allure leads him to compromise his ethical standards as he becomes entwined in the criminal underworld.
The narrative also introduces Marion "Kiki" Roberts, Diamond's devoted mistress, whose tumultuous relationship with him is marked by passion and resentment towards his wife, Alice Diamond. Alice emerges as a strong and assertive figure, navigating her complex life with a sense of loyalty despite Diamond's infidelities. Other notable characters include Murray "The Goose" Pucinski, a sadistic henchman, and Jimmy Biondo, a rival gangster, highlighting the tense dynamics and violent conflicts within the story. This character analysis presents a vivid portrayal of the moral complexities and social dynamics during a tumultuous period in American history.
Legs: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: William Kennedy
First published: 1975
Genre: Novel
Locale: Albany, New York
Plot: Regional
Time: The 1920's and 1930's
John Thomas “Legs” Diamond, a ruthless gangster and bootlegger. Brutal and ambitious, yet possessing a certain raw style, Diamond symbolizes the mood and energy of the years of Prohibition. Initially a second-rate thug, Diamond wages a violent war on competing bootleggers and builds an underworld empire that makes him one of the most famous—and most feared—figures of the decade. Diamond is also a man of rapacious appetites, with a wife, a mistress, and a taste for the high life. The air of power and magnetism that he exudes draws Marcus Gorman into his inner circle.
Marcus Gorman, a rising young attorney from Albany, New York. Gorman serves as the book's narrator, drawing the reader into Diamond's violent world even as he himself is pulled into it. Marcus begins as a respectable outsider, with a law practice and political ambitions. He finds himself unable to resist the twisted magnetism of Diamond's outlaw life. He is hired by Diamond, ostensibly for legal representation, but soon realizes that his ties to the gangster will sometimes require activities on both sides of the law. Fascinated by the contradictions and sheer animal energy of the criminal he comes to know as a friend, Marcus abandons what he terms “the moral gold standard” in his own life and casts his lot with Diamond.
Marion “Kiki” Roberts, a showgirl who is Diamond's mistress, described by Marcus as the most beautiful woman he has ever seen. Kiki is devoted to Diamond, who keeps her, protected by bodyguards, close to wherever he is staying. Theirs is a passionately physical relationship, and Kiki bitterly resents Diamond's time with his wife. For many years, Kiki refuses to allow herself to believe the stories she hears of her lover's brutality toward his enemies, loyally accepting only Diamond's version of his actions.
Alice Diamond, Diamond's wife. Alice, too, is fiercely devoted to Diamond and is deeply angry over his affair with Kiki. Contrary to Marcus' expectations, she is outspoken and assertive. A warm, amply proportioned woman, she is a regular churchgoer, despite the irregular nature of her life with her husband.
Murray “The Goose” Pucinski, one of Diamond's henchmen. Murray the Goose is a sadistic killer whose enthusiasm for his work results in the unplanned death of one of Diamond's rivals. This event places the gangster in jeopardy and leads to his later decision to use Murray as a scapegoat in his dealings with Jimmy Biondo.
Jimmy Biondo, a gangster and one of Diamond's chief rivals. Diamond alternately battles and forms shaky alliances with Biondo throughout the story.
Charlie Northrup, a onetime friend of Diamond, now Jimmy Biondo's brother-in-law. Northrup is a small-time racketeer and bootlegger whose defiance and ties to Biondo earn for him Diamond's enmity.
Joe “Speed” Fogarty, one of Diamond's henchmen. Fogarty is an uncomplicated, garden-variety thug. Affable and loyal to his employer, he bears an uncanny resemblance to Diamond's dead brother.
Jesse Franklin, a middle-aged black man. Jesse is employed by Diamond as a moonshiner. It is through his account that Marcus first learns the true fate of Charlie Northrup.