Manhattan Transfer Lesson Plan

Discuss the passage in which a real-estate developer tries to lure a man named Mr. Perry into a real estate development. The developer says, "All these mechanical inventions—telephones, electricity, steel bridges, horseless vehicles—they are all leading somewhere. it's up to us to be on the inside, in the forefront of progress..." (17). What effect does this have on the reader?

Though these characters are never heard from or seen again, the passage establishes one of the key forces animating Manhattan at the moment: that of technological development, the promise of progress, and the profiteering pursued involved in the city's development. This lets the reader know...