Ambition

Throughout the novel, the author uses his main character Carney's constant cravings for success and stability as a means of exploring the all-consuming nature of ambition. Living in New York City, Carney feels perpetually driven to make more of himself. At the start of the novel, his struggling used furniture business makes him question his place in the world. At the end of Part I, Chapter 1, the narrator says, "He didn't know where the rent was going to come from, but it was still early in the month. You never know" (16). Carney tries to maintain positivity despite his increasingly desperate circumstances. Determined not to repeat his father's nefarious activities from the past, Carney repeatedly tells himself, "I may be broke, but I ain't crooked" (16). Indeed, as the narrative unfolds, the reader learns that Carney could deliver himself from his monetary distress if he resorted to criminal...