# Bugsy — Banjo character guide

> Bugsy in Banjo by Claude McKay.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** XIII Bugsy

**First appearance:** 0004-ii-the-breakwater

## Snapshot

Wiry, long-handed, and quick to slap a slice of beef across a rival's face, Bugsy is the gang's sharpest dancer and its most combustible temper.

## Who they are

Bugsy leads the boys dancing with a bird-hopping step that turns a bistro floor into something startlingly fresh, and he seizes the porridge-pan brawl to settle an old grudge against a boy from Benin. His wiry grace and his readiness to strike sit side by side, making him both the orchestra's best showman and its loosest fuse. When he falls ill in a back alley, his refusal of the hospital becomes a test of the gang's nerve.

## Relationships

### [Banjo](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/banjo_se/characters/banjo)

_friendship_

Banjo and Bugsy have a playful, supportive friendship, with Bugsy often providing comic relief.

### [Latnah](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/banjo_se/characters/latnah)

_friendship_

Bugsy and Latnah have a playful, teasing friendship, with Bugsy often lightening the mood.

### [Taloufa](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/banjo_se/characters/taloufa)

_friendship_

Bugsy and Taloufa share a jovial, easygoing friendship, often joking and bantering.

### [Banjo](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/banjo_se/characters/banjo)

_friendship_

Banjo and Bugsy have a playful, supportive friendship, with Bugsy often providing comic relief.

### [Banjo](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/banjo_se/characters/banjo)

_friendship_

Banjo and Bugsy have a playful, supportive friendship, with Bugsy often providing comic relief.

### [Taloufa](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/banjo_se/characters/taloufa)

_friendship_

Bugsy and Taloufa share a jovial, easygoing friendship, often joking and bantering.

### [Latnah](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/banjo_se/characters/latnah)

_friendship_

Bugsy and Latnah have a playful, teasing friendship, with Bugsy often lightening the mood.

### [Latnah](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/banjo_se/characters/latnah)

_friendship_

Bugsy and Latnah have a playful, teasing friendship, with Bugsy often lightening the mood.

## In the story

### [I: The Ditch](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/banjo_se/chapters/i-the-ditch)

A member of Malty's gang who predicts that Banjo's music will attract dockers. He dances with Ginger.

### [II: The Breakwater](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/banjo_se/chapters/ii-the-breakwater)

Engages in banter with Banjo and participates in the night's exploits.

### [III: Malty Turned Down](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/banjo_se/chapters/iii-malty-turned-down)

Bugsy is part of the gang, present at the wine barrel and later swimming. He provides soap for washing clothes.

### [IV: Hard Feeding](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/banjo_se/chapters/iv-hard-feeding)

Initiates a fight during the feeding frenzy and makes irreverent jokes about God.

### [VI: Meeting-Up](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/banjo_se/chapters/vi-meeting-up)

Bugsy comments on the police beating, comparing it to experiences in Dixie.

### [VII: The Flute-Boy](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/banjo_se/chapters/vii-the-flute-boy)

Teases Goosey and comments on race talk, adding humor to the conversation.

### [IX: Taloufa's Shirttail](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/banjo_se/chapters/ix-taloufa-s-shirttail)

Scorns Taloufa for being robbed, urges him to involve the police, and accompanies him to search the girl's room.

### [XII: Bugsy's Chinese Pie](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/banjo_se/chapters/xii-bugsy-s-chinese-pie)

Makes a witty remark about French bread, gets into a fight with Banjo, and criticizes Banjo's charity.

### [XIII: Bugsy Comes Back at Banjo](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/banjo_se/chapters/xiii-bugsy-comes-back-at-banjo)

Spreading vindictive rumors about Banjo, claiming he is an 'ofay-lover' and enjoys walking alone with militant resentment.

### [XV: White Terror](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/banjo_se/chapters/xv-white-terror)

Bugsy is not mentioned in this chapter's excerpts.

### [XX: The Rock of Refuge](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/banjo_se/chapters/xx-the-rock-of-refuge)

Mentioned in a conversation at the hospital, where Banjo criticizes him for hating white people and spreading rumors.

### [Official Fists](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/banjo_se/chapters/xxi-official-fists)

Dies in a squalid room; his funeral is organized by the gang.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/banjo_se/characters/bugsy
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/banjo_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/banjo_se/characters