For my first post, I have decided to voice some general comments and reactions to the novel that I read over the summer, All The King's Men. I have to admit that it was my favorite book that I read this summer, although the books that it was compared to were A Streetcar Named Desire, How to Read Literature Like a Professor, and Silent Spring. Not to say that these aren't good novels, it's just that they were lacking some important and key thematic elements that All the King's Men boasted.
When discussing the possible for theme's for Robert Penn Warren's book, a multitude of ideas come to mind. One of which, exemplified perfectly by Jack Burden, is that with old age and experience comes incresed acceptance of responsibility. Although Jack may not have aged as much in terms of years, his mind underwent transformations that greatly altered his philosophy on life. Early on, he decided to accept the theory of the "Great Twitch" which simpy absolved everybody from all responsibiility. However, upon witnessing the death of his companion Willie Stark, Jack compares life to a "delicate spider web" best explained by the following quote found on page 206: "The world is like an enormous spider web and if you touch it, however lightly, at any point, the vibration ripples to the remotest perimeter and the drowsy spider feels the tingle..." (Warren 206).
Another possible for theme for this masterpiece of a literary work wouuld be that even the most noble and moral characters are vulnerable to corruption. Two characters that exemplify this theme perfectly are Adam and Anne Stanton. Early in the novel, they avoided all association with the Stark government while praising their father as being "pure" and "just." However, when Jack uncovers the informaiton about the Judge Irwin incident, the Stanton's worldview comes crashing down on them. The ability of their father to commit an act connected with corruption seemed inconceivable, yet the proof was far too substantial to ignore. Soon after, Adam Stanton agrees to run Governor Stark's hospital, albeit a little reluctantly. Anne Stanton, on the other hand, actually begins to have an affair with the man who's methods she had previously "despised."
Just exploring two of the possible themes opens up numerous avenues for discussion and debate. Comment on whether you agree/disagree with the previously stated themes, or if you would like to add some specific evidence from the book to my previous statements.
I definitely agree that All the King's Men was the best novel we read this summer, and also agree that with age comes experience. I'm not sure if I think that it is always good experience though. What I mean is that becoming old doesn't always make people into better people and that many people hold on to negative emotions like hate and anger. Jack does personify the idea well though. On the topic of your other theme, I have to say that while Anne and Adam were corrupted, I think that almost anyone could be corrupted depending on circumstances, unless you happen to be Howard Roark. Alas, we can't all be Roark and I can't say I blame Anne and Adam for being fallible. Willie seemed to be able to influence anyone he came in contact with, but I wouldn't say it was always bad influence(for example Jack became a better person) but for the most part, he did seem to have a bad influence on others. I don't know if I really debated your themes, so much as I just said my thoughts about them, so maybe we should find someone who disagrees with one or more of them and debate it.
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