The Destruction of Gotham

"The Destruction of Gotham" by Joaquin Miller is a very cruel and real story. The manner in which the characters are written gives credence to their believability in our reality. The passage we focused on was that of the newspaper reporter, the man who see the things that go on in the city.  In the passage the reporter is a spectator to everything that is occurring between the two young men, the lady, and the officer.  He witnessed as the officer stood by, took the bribe of the young man with no recourse, and watched him leave.  This fits into the plot of the story because it foreshadows things to come for the protagonist. The phrase "Saw a man and moster exchange glances; saw that all was well understood - this young man, this New Yorker, would deman and recieve of the old monster an account of her stewardship." (16) Is what sets up the whole story. It tells you that this young man, who has money, feels he can do anything with it. This includes claiming ownership over the beautiful young girl. This locks into a bigger idea that Miller has in this story, he writes "A course man of this city once remarked, with more force than grammer, 'That in New York a man can live as many lives as he has money.' Matherson now lived many lives, for he had much money"(37).  He is saying that a person who has money can get away with doing what they want, become who they want, and live however  they want. It ties back to the first passage, as he claims the girl and bribes the officer to stave him from trouble. Money is the one thing that lets him do whatever he wants. This comes back to the report, who from the shadows, is once again a witness to all that is happening to the poor girl.