The King of Mulberry Street

On Monday morning, Dom runs to the wharf to find that the Bolivia is gone. Devastated, he walks away and runs into Tin Pan Alley, who shares candy with him. Savoring the treat, Dom decides that the ship’s departure is merely a setback.

He returns to the produce vendor to organize and sweep. Expressing admiration for Dom’s work, the man introduces himself as Francesco Grandinetti and gives Dom a penny to buy an Italian newspaper. Back at the grocer, Dom looks at the paper, which is mostly pictures, while Grandinetti helps a cautious widow. Later, Grandinetti explains that the pictures depict how in New York, the bosses are Irish, and the workers are Italian. When Dom asks why people do not return to Italy, Grandinetti explains that although life is hard in America, it is still better than in Europe. After Dom does more work, the man pays him three oranges, instructs him to deliver potatoes to a customer on Mott Street, and asks him to return the next day.

Moments later, Dom encounters Gaetano and berates himself for missing the ship. Gaetano admits that he could not have gotten Dom on board without a ticket. When Dom shares an orange and declares their friendship, Gaetano whispers that if Dom had documents, he could secure passage to Napoli. Excited, Dom claims that he does, but Gaetano confesses that he stole the papers and sold them. Devastated, Dom turns on Gaetano, calling him a dirty thief and rescinding his friendship. The older boy justifies his actions and explains that he could have just let Dom believe that he lost the papers. Gaetano apologizes and offers to help him buy new documents.

Relenting, Dom allows Gaetano to follow him to Mott Street. However, the older boy complains about the area because the Chinese are “tricky” (137), speak English, and make more money than the Italian residents. Dom delivers the potatoes and decides to visit Tin Pan Alley, chiding Gaetano for being afraid to speak English and refusing to venture beyond certain streets. 

When they find Tin Pan Alley, Dom gives him an orange, which the boy claims he could sell for $0.50. Dom gets an idea. He instructs Gaetano to get clean paper and meet him at Grandinetti’s. There, Dom asks the man for a $0.25 loan and offers his shoes as collateral when Grandinetti balks at the request. The man relents, so Dom runs barefoot to buy a large sandwich. He returns to the grocer and cuts the food into four pieces, wrapping each in the paper Gaetano secures. They return to Tin Pan Alley, who speaks in English to sell one of the portions immediately for a quarter. The boys grin at each other in excitement.

The boys sell the remaining sandwiches. Even though they make less than expected, it is a victory because they make a profit. Dom returns to Grandinetti’s to repay the man and to retrieve his shoes. Without explaining, Dom emerges onto the street, gives Gaetano five cents to buy more paper for their new business, and then heads to buy another sandwich. When they ask Grandinetti to cut it again, Dom requests that he slice the final segment into quarters: A piece for each of the boys and one for Grandinetti.

On the street, they use their own lunch as marketing. When a customer expresses interest, Tin Pan Alley points to Gaetano, who takes a bite. This method works until it is Dom’s turn to eat, for he cannot consume the salami. However, he pretends to feed the meat to Gaetano as if he were a dog. Once they sell all the sandwiches, the boys argue, for Gaetano wants his share now, and Tin Pan Alley claims that he could not make money for his padrone while selling sandwiches. After putting some coins in Tin Pan Alley’s cup, Dom keeps the rest to buy sandwiches the next day. When they spot the boy’s padrone across the street, Dom and Gaetano run.

Gaetano suggests they buy a roll of paper from the mill for a quarter. Deliberating, Dom proposes that they wait because they already have enough for tomorrow’s sandwiches. When Gaetano agrees but insists that Dom give him the $0.75 they earned, Dom hesitates, remembering that Gaetano stole his papers. After arguing, Dom relinquishes one quarter to his friend and keeps the other two. 

When Dom returns to his alley, his barrel is gone. Two boys attack him and steal his quarters. A man shouts, preventing the boys from taking Dom’s shoes too. After the boys run off, Dom goes to Grandinetti’s, where he works without asking. When there is a lull in business, Grandinetti asks what happened. Dom refuses to tell him and asks for a penny instead of fruit. He promises to never ask for money again, which softens the man. Penny in hand, Dom walks to Grand Central Station and pays to put his shoes in storage. Then he goes to Central Park, looking for food and sleeping in the bushes. He worries about facing his friends without any money in the morning.