All the Kings Men

A detailed Summary of All the Kings Men

Throughout All the King's Men, history plays an important role in the motivations and

lives of all the characters. History's importance is most noticeable, not surprisingly, in the

story main characters - Willie Stark and Jack Burden - whose lives focus on and, in some

cases, depend upon history and how they relate themselves to it. While Willie Stark views

history as a tool with which to manipulate people for his own ends, an attitude resulting in

his own destruction, Jack Burden's view of history changes over time and eventually

allows him to accept his relationship to the past and, therefore, present. Since each man

has such a differing view it is no wonder that history becomes important to each in

different ways. Willie Stark must support his entire empire in a world of enemies and

corruption, to do this he relies on the past to provide him with the foundation. "Dirt's a

funny thing," the Boss said. "Come to think of it, there ain't a thing but dirt on this God's

green globe except what's under water, and that's dirt too. It's dirt makes the grass grow.

A diamond ain't a thing in the world but a piece of dirt that got awful hot. God-a-Mighty

picked up a handful of dirt and blew on it and made you and me and George

and mankind blessed in faculty and apprehension. It all depends on what you do with the

distinguish between what is truth and what is fact. In effect, he treats the facts as the

friend and employee of Stark, he too uses the past as a manipulator for the cause of Stark.

way he chooses to use it of course is as blackmail; "Then he would lean suddenly forward,

discovered, or discovered could not be understood by me, I could not bear to live with the

Approximate Word count = 1135
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Novels

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