# II: Nickelodeon explained — Manhattan Transfer

> Chapter companion for Manhattan Transfer by John Dos Passos.

## What happens

The chapter opens with a meditation on the nickel as a unit of currency in New York City, buying everything from chewing gum to fleeting entertainment. Ruth Prynne, after a doctor's appointment, meets old acquaintance Billy Waldron in a tea room, where they reminisce about past theatrical ambitions and failures. The narrative then shifts to Jimmy Herf and his wife Ellen, who dine at a restaurant run by Congo Jake, a bootlegger with a wooden leg. Their conversation is strained, revealing deep marital tension and nostalgia for happier times in Europe. The chapter juxtaposes the cheap, disposable pleasures of the city with the characters' personal disillusionments.

## Themes in this chapter

### Urban Alienation

The chapter opens with the nickel as a symbol of disposable urban life, and the characters' interactions are marked by isolation and failed connection, such as the strained silence between Jimmy and Ellen.

### Illusion and Performance

Ruth Prynne and Billy Waldron discuss their theatrical pasts, and the dinner scene between Jimmy and Ellen is described with theatrical imagery, highlighting the performative nature of their relationship.

### American Dream and Ambition

Ruth's failed acting career and Jimmy's discontent with his job reflect the elusive nature of success and the compromises required to survive in the city.

## Character check-ins

### Ruth Prynne

Ruth visits a doctor for throat treatment, then meets Billy Waldron in a tea room, discussing her stalled acting career and financial struggles.

### Jimmy Herf

Jimmy dines with his wife Ellen at a restaurant, feeling the strain in their marriage and reminiscing about their time in Europe.

### Ellen Thatcher

Ellen, now married to Jimmy, is distant and reserved during dinner, having taken a job to support them, which Jimmy resents.

### Congo Jake

Congo, a bootlegger with a wooden leg from the war, greets Jimmy and Ellen at his brother-in-law's restaurant, offering them drinks and his business card.

## Key lines

> A nickel before midnight buys tomorrow’s headlines, a cup of coffee in the automat, a ride to Woodlawn, Fort Lee, Flatbush.

A nickel can purchase a newspaper, a coffee, or a subway ride, symbolizing the cheap, fleeting transactions of urban life.

_Opens the chapter, establishing the nickel as a motif for transience and consumerism._

> She opened her long green leather purse and looked in. My God, only a dollar a quarter a nickel and two pennies.

Ruth checks her purse and finds she has very little money left, highlighting her financial anxiety.

_Illustrates Ruth's precarious financial situation after her doctor's visit._

> When Congo limped away from their table silence came down between them like an asbestos curtain in a theater.

After Congo leaves, Jimmy and Ellen fall into a heavy, awkward silence, as if a theater curtain has dropped.

_Uses theatrical imagery to emphasize the emotional distance between the couple._

> He felt paralyzed like in a nightmare; she was a porcelaine figure under a bellglass.

Jimmy feels frozen and helpless, seeing Ellen as a fragile, untouchable object.

_Captures Jimmy's sense of alienation and the breakdown of intimacy in their marriage._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/manhattan_transfer_se/chapters/ii-nickelodeon
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/manhattan_transfer_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/manhattan_transfer_se/chapters