Climax of Action: The two men leave Bateman taking his curtain call.
Characterization. Why are the insignificant actors and actresses mentioned in the introduction? What is the particular literary value of Grainger? What outstanding characteristics has Bateman which none of the others possess? What value has the title in connection with the characters as a group?
How has Mr. Cobb individualized Verba and Offutt? To which means of characterization is he most partial—author’s description, the character’s own acts and speeches, or what others think and say of him?
Of the urchin who piloted the searchers, what is the first detail you recall? What other characters of Mr. Cobb do you remember from some physical peculiarity which he has emphasized?
Bateman is first presented to the reader through the opinion of Verba. Next, he is shown through the wine-shop clerk (who gives the effective clue as to Bateman’s “dippiness”). Then, the ragged urchin volunteers his contribution. What prepossessing characteristic does the reader receive from him? Finally, the actor speaks for himself. One part would be insufficient; it would be “too easy”; therefore by the cumulative method Mr. Cobb lets the old man show beyond a doubt that he is not a type, but an actor. Dundreary, the Frenchman and King Lear require varied ability.
Notice that what the character does is the climactic portrayal—not what others say about him or what the author might portray.
Details. Point out the clues to Bateman’s insanity. Study Mr. Cobb’s figures of speech. He frequently uses the human body as a basis for comparison (see, for example, page 85: “Its stucco facings, shining dimly like a row of teeth ...” and page 97: “the mouth of the place was muzzled with iron, like an Elizabethan shrew’s”). Why is such a basis conducive to vividness for everybody?
What is the acting time of the story?
What is the significance of the contrast between the modern play, as represented in the selections (pages 88 and 89), and the masterpieces suggested in the latter part of the story.