Joe Perovsky Character Analysis

An ambitious First Ward saloon owner, Joe Perovsky embodies the image of the “on the make” Slovak. In contrast to most of the novel’s Slovak characters, who toil at manual labor at the bottom of the social hierarchy in Braddock, Perovsky embraces the ruthless style of American business and cozies up to the Republican Party in order to further his own ambition for power and influence. In addition to owning a saloon, Perovsky dabbles in real estate speculation, and he proves an impressionable influence on Kracha, who admires Perovsky’s independence as a businessman. Yet, Perovsky also plays the role of silver-tongued con man. He convinces Kracha to invest in real estate lots on the assumption that the railroad will soon buy them up. When the investment fails to pay off, however, Kracha finds himself indebted to the bank and bitter towards Perovsky. Perovsky is also a Republican Party ward heeler who eschews any pro-labor solidarity with his fellow Slovaks by urging them not to support Socialist and Democratic Party candidates. In exchange for his party loyalty and pro-business stances, Perovsky wins a council election with the help of the local Republican machine. Perovsky openly espouses cutthroat American capitalist values as a means of distancing himself from his ethnic heritage and ingratiating himself to the powers that dominate economic and political life in Braddock.