The Duke and Duchess of Windsor are prominent people in society, who want more power. The people in the Duke's alliance invited Mr. Coty to join the alliance because, in the Duke's words, "From time to time, Monsieur Coty and his friends are useful to us." (141) Although the Duke dislikes this man, he pretends to like him because he needs this man in order for his own selfish schemes to work. The Duke and Duchess of Windsor use their own alliance to gain leadership over the people in Europe, and truly believing they are the right leaders. The Duke says Europe needs, "...a new kind of leader--someone like a flag, whose very presence makes us rise. Not a Mussolini, of who we are afraid. Not a Hitler who drives us to our feet. But an emblem whose magnetism pulls us upward." (180) The Duke sees h

Benito Mussolini was a very important character in World War II who was both feared and admired. Findley writes of him, "What had been a shared ideal became a single man; a god." (160) Mussolini had begun to take over parts of Europe and was a leader and a "god" to his followers. When two men, Matteoti and Isabella's husband, begin to write about their leader and uncover the truths about him, Mussolini had his men kill them both. Isabella says, " I am thinking of how it can be that mere human beings, can be so afraid of the written word they will kill to be rid of it." (166) Mussolini is so corrupt and hungry for power that once someone questions him, or knows too much about his plans they are killed. Mussolini wanted to revolutionize Europe and be its leader so he created his own organization, which worked secretly to gain power and control. Findley writes, "But in 1919 they proclaimed their fascist Party, who's name was derived from the groups of workers know as fasci--brought together under the hand of Mussolini to agitate for a change in social order." (159) Mussolini's change of social order was to rule over several nations so he could be a powerful leader. He is willing to turn everything upside down. Mussolini is a heartless man or "god" who creates his own party so that he can rise to power.

Throughout this novel the characters get themselves caught in webs of betrayal and corruption so that, at the end of the war, they may prevail and gain total world domination. Through the experiences of the characters it is learned that nobody can get ahead without causing someone else's downfalls. Most importantly, this novel illustrates the selfishness of individuals and shows how people are willing to do whatever they need to ensure that they are solely benefited. This is clearly shown in the novel. Although the Duke, von Ribbentrop and Mussolini employed different schemes and methods, they each tried to achieve the s

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1309
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)