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Podcast: 1001 Classic Short Stories & Tales
Episode: THE JELLYBEAN by F.SCOTT FITZGERALD
Description: The story was written as a sequel to "The Ice Palace," and Clark Darrow appears in both. The omniscient narrator, who ensures that close observation is paid to Powell's story, draws in the reader. The opening line – "Jim Powell was a Jelly-bean"- labels the protagonist immediately, and as a character he remains within the stereotype Fitzgerald indicates, though he almost manages to break free. The history of Powell's life presents a tale of a family fallen on hard times. Powell is humiliated by the whisperings of the social set and chooses notoriety over civility. He fig...