I enjoyed reading Liebling’s account of Hymie, the tummler. Rather than simply describing Hymie’s characteristics, the author portrayed the character by showing rather than telling. By using concrete examples of Hymie’s various experiences betting money and opening night venues, for example, Liebling revealed a great deal about Hymie’s character: he knows what he wants and how to get it.
After reviewing Liebling’s account of Hymie, it became apparent that the author’s descriptions were rooted in numbers: whether it was the cost of rent or how many basements there are “that cannot economically be used as anything but nightclubs” (107). This contributes to the objectivity of the article as numbers are concrete and often more accurate than mere opinions (if the numbers are contextualized and not influenced by an agenda, that is). In doing so, Liebling seems to approach Hymie with an objective lens since specific examples, numbers, and dialogues are more concrete than vague descriptions incorporating one’s opinion.
Although Liebling is, for the most part, objective, he does include a few subjective sentences, namely “Hymie is not a bad fellow” (109). To decrease his subjectivity, however, Liebling usually defends his opinions. I appreciated Liebling’s honest and straightforward account of Hymie since he did not sugar coat nor add unnecessary, fluffy language to his writing. On the other hand, it was also not overly charged with emotion or passion; it was a collection of statements rooted in evidence. This is best illustrated on the bottom of page 112: “Hymie thinks most of his customers in those days were temporarily insane.” In addition to making such bold statements, Liebling ensures to back up his opinions or accounts of others’ opinions, such as he who “had the quaint conceit of carrying only fifty-dollar bills” (112). Although this can be considered rather subjective, concrete evidence can help back up an author’s claim when it concerns information that is more subjective in nature.