All the King’s Men, written by Robert Penn Warren, is set deep in thesouth during the 1930’s. This is a story of the rise and fall of apolitical titan. Willie Stark comes from poverty to become the governor ofhis state. He forces his enemies into submission by blackmails, repeatedthreats, and bullies them.
He creates a series of liberal reforms that layheavy tax burdens on the rich and lifts the money issue off of the poorfarmers. His foil character Sam MacMurfee persistently searches for way toruin the career of Willie Starks. Sam MacMurfee has thugs and powerfulpolitical allies deep in his pockets. The two characters remind the readerof corrupt figures in politics such as the famous Boss Tweed. Willie Stark’s right-hand man is Jack Burden. He left his eloquentand polite family to work with Willie.
Jack is an extremely intelligenthistorical researcher that uses his abilities to dig up dirt on Willie’senemies. Willie uses the secrets to blackmail his enemies into hissubmission. Often corrupt political figures indirectly pay off otherindividuals to do the “dirty work” and blackmail their enemies. AlthoughWillie Starks may have been acting corruptly for a good purpose it wasstill illegal and wrong. Willie asks Jack to search for secrets on a father figure from hischild hood.
Judge Irwin was a father figure in Jack’s life as a child. Inthis situation, Jack’s motivation and responsibility to himself isquestioned. Jack discovers that Judge Irwin accepted a bribe and GovernorStanton covers the bribe up. The blackmail influences the suicide of JudgeIrwin, makes Adam Stanton accept the position as head of the hospital thatWillie is building, and Anne Stanton begins an affair with Willlie. Adammurders Willie when he finds out about Willie and Anne. This horrificevent lead to Jack’s retiring from politics forever.
The death of Willie Starks and the circumstances force Jack torethink the way he thinks. He rethinks a belief that no one can ever beresponsible for the evil actions of another individual over time. In a wayJack feels responsible for Willie’s death. Jack eventually marries AnneStanton and he feels orthodox about his decision to marry her. Jackrestarts his long lost hobby of working on a book about Cass Mastern.
Jackuses Cass Mastern’s papers as a source for his failed essay in Americanhistory. Are there any people that tend to bully and blackmail others aremaybe even you? Bribery, blackmail, and corruption in general are not seenso much in today’s world, but are still occurring on a daily bases. In atime when America’s economy was low I suspect that the temptation was highto act corruptly. Willie Starks seeks out rebate for smaller people as heheavily taxed the rich and blackmailed his enemies.
Honest politicians area rarity in today’s world.
