Movie Analysis: Butch Minds the Baby

Understanding the Text: Main Ideas/Plot
Read the statements below which relate to the main ideas in “Butch Minds the Baby.” To check your understanding of the main ideas, mark the statements True, False, or Don't Know. Compare and discuss your responses with a partner. “Correct” any false statements by adding/removing facts. Then order the sentences in the correct chronological order as they occur in the story.
1. Big Butch is a safe opener who is temporarily “retired" from this work.
2. Harry the Horse, Little Isadore, and Spanish John are criminals who ask the narrator of the story to help them locate Big Butch.
3. The three criminals ask Big Butch to rob a bank with them.
4. Big Butch accepts the job immediately.
5. Big Butch decides to take his baby john Ignatius on the job with him.
6. The narrator of the story, a criminal, is eating lunch in a cafe.
7. The police catch the criminals in the end.
8. The three criminals exchange gunfire with the police.
9. Big Butch opens the safe with his tools.
10. The baby, John Ignatius, is very well-behaved while his father is trying to open the safe.
Understanding the Text: Analysis
After you have read the story, answer the questions below to help you better understand what you have read.
1. In paragraphs 2 and 3, Runyon introduces the three “parties" from Brooklyn. Reread these paragraphs and explain what kind of characters these three are.
2. The three men ask the narrator to take them to Big Butch’s house. What is the narrator’s response in paragraphs 8-11? Why do you think the narrator reacts this way?
3. How is Big Butch characterized in paragraph 17?
4. What job do the three men propose?
5. Briefly explain Big Butch‘s job/personal history as described in paragraphs 22 and 23. 1
6. What does Big Butch say at first when the three men ask him to take part in the job? Why does he give this answer?
7. What suggestion does Little Isadore make to convince Big Butch to change his mind?
8. Starting in paragraph 33, what do the men do while they are talking over the job?
9. In paragraph 37, the narrator explains his reasons for remaining with the group. Why does he go on the job with them?
10. How does the narrator describe himself in paragraph 40?
11. Scan paragraphs 45 to 54 to find details about what the baby does as his father works on the safe.
12. In paragraph 52, how does Big Butch finally decide to open the safe?
13. In paragraphs 58-59, what do Big Butch and the others do after the explosion?
14. What happens to the three men from Brooklyn in paragraphs 63-64?
15. What do Big Butch, the baby, and the narrator do?
16. In paragraph 74, why doesn’t the police sergeant arrest Big Butch and the narrator?
17. In paragraph 75, does the narrator wish to see Big Butch again?
18. What is the cause of the baby's crying, as explained in paragraph 76?
Literary Concept: Narrator
The narrator of a story is important because he or she tells the story from his or her viewpoint and with his or her knowl-edge. The narrator can be a participant in the action of the story, or an outsider who reports the actions.
In some stories, the narration is done in the first person, ``I´´ and the narrator is a main or minor character. Other stories use third-person narration “he," “she,” or “they”-Often when the narrator describes the action as an outsider. Furthermore, in longer texts, the narration can change from one person's viewpoint to another.
Answer these questions about “Butch Minds the Baby," which relate to the narrator.
The narrator of “Butch Minds the Baby “is who lives in
The main characters in the story are
In the story, the narrator is a (major or minor) character. His relation to the major characters
The profession of the narrator is
Literary Concept: Characterization
One element that makes Damon Runyon's stories about life in New York City in the 19305 and 1940´s popular today is his skill in characterization. As we read his stories, we want to find out more about the characters he has created from his interesting experiences. Runyon uses many methods to reveal the character and personality of the people in his stories. He explains the character directly in some cases; he also reveals his characters by describing their behaviour or others’ reactions to them. Here are the most common methods a writer uses to reveal the personality of a character:
a. direct description of the character
b. description of the character's speech, thoughts, or actions
C. reactions by other characters to the character
With a partner, fill in the sentences below to describe the characters in “Butch Minds the Baby.” Afterward, discuss which method has been used to reveal the character's personality.
1. Big Butch is a good father. He shows this when----------------------------------------------- he ---------------------- and also when he
2. He is -------------------------------- his wife. The reader finds this out in paragraph ----------------- which tells us that .
3. Butch feels that policemen are --------------------------------- . Butch shows this at the end of the story when
4. Butch is a _______._____a person because _______________. For example, when ____________, Butch_______________

Looking at Language: Slang
Runyon’s story is filled with colorful slang expressions, most of which are still used today. With a partner, review the following list of words, and identify them as noun, verb, adjective, or adverb. Then use each word or phrase once to complete the sentences below.
Monkey with kosher joint sap old lady chewing the fat put the arm on beef
1. The narrator took the three “tough guys” to Big Butch’s house after they threatened to put the arm on him if he did not cooperate.
2. The three men reassure the narrator that everything is kosher meaning that they do not want to hurt Big Butch, only talk to him.
3. Big Butch is described as a big, mean man that a person should not monkey with.
4. On the other hand, Butch is afraid that he will have a beef with his wife if she finds out he has taken the baby out at night.
5. Butch has to mind the baby because his old lady is attending a wake in the Bronx.
6. Butch invites the men to his joint to drink some beer.
7. As they are chewing the fat in the kitchen, the narrator of the story begins to feel a little drunk, or “dopey.”
8. The narrator thinks of himself as a sap because he is so stupid as to accompany the men to the scene of a crime.