Research the "Great Migration" of African Americans from the South to the large Northern cities in the 1930s and 1940s. How does the character of the Bingo King represent those immigrants?

What was the racial makeup of New York City in the 1940s? Where did most black residents of the city live? Investigate the differences between the treatment of African Americans in the Northern areas of the country as compared to the practices in the South during this period.

Bingo and other forms of gambling have surged in popularity in recent years. Why do you think this is so? Are people's hopes for winning based on the same hopes that drive the Bingo King's behavior?