In the novel, All the King’s Men, Willie Stark puts his heart and soul into speaking the honest truth to the people during his campaign as governor. Unfortunately, the people do not know that he is involved in an affair with Anne Stanton. Similar to Willie, Cass Mastern, an ancestor of Jack Burden, commits adultery by sleeping with his best friend’s wife, Annabelle Trice. Cass Mastern’s story is parallel to that of Willie and Jack’s, which causes a burden on both their lives.
Located in chapter four of, All the King’s Men, the tragic story of Cass Mastern is told with warning. Like Willie, Cass was born into poverty and brought up by his older, richer, and more successful brother Gilbert. Cass studied theology at Transylvania University; met Duncan Trice, who was married to Annabelle Trice, through a mutual friend, Jefferson Davis. Annabelle immediately caught his eye and Cass knew right then and there that he wanted to have her as his own. Most men cannot keep their hands
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off pretty women and get themselves in trouble. Cass Mastern begins an affair with Annabelle Trice. Duncan knew about their affair and committed suicide. Duncan’s slave, Phoebe, found his marriage ring staged on the bed. Duncan was sending a message to Annabelle telling her that his death was no accident; he knew about the affair. Phoebe also knew about the affair and was sold out of slavery and into prostitution. Cass felt guilty for his actions and went to go find Phoebe and buy her back. Thankfully Cass felt guilty for his actions and started living life like he should have. He learned that 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 and is drowsy no more but springs out to fling the gossamer coils about you who have touched the web and then inject the black, numbing poison under your hide (Warren, 178). Cass finally learns that his actions also have affects on other people. The one thing that can be done is taking initiative. Unfortunately, Cass Mastern’s episode repeated in history with Willie and Jack. Similar to the events of Cass Mastern, Jack and Willie got themselves involved in the same love triangle.
As Jack and Willie’s friendship developed so did Anne Stanton, Jack’s first love, and Willie Stark’s. Anne Stanton is an unfortunate woman who has no respect and throws herself at the most successful man she can find. As a political figure, Willie should lay low on the media, but that is not the case. Willie and Anne’s affair becomes known to their closest friends and results in murders and suicides. Was it really worth risking death over life? Willie’s affair with Anne is the most scandalous considering she is the daughter of the ex- governor. In the beginning of Warren’s drama filled novel, Willie was portrayed as a good man; a man of the people. Cass, on the other hand, did not become a good person till after his affair with Annabelle, due to his escalated feeling of guilt. Willie’s Cass Mastern episode changed him from good to evil unlike Cass’s positive evil to good
transformation. Willie wanted to “live up to his notion of a high destiny” (Warren, 106). He wanted share the wealth with the common people and protect them from big companies. As Willie went through with his affair he became selfish and evil. Unfortunately Willie did not learn from his sins, but in the end he was forgiven after his death. The creation of man whom God in His foreknowledge knew doomed to sin was the awful index of God’s omnipotence… Separateness is identity and the only way for God to create, truly create, man was to make him separate from God Himself, and to be separate from God is to be sinful. Everyone is born with sin and individuality, but we are forgiven.
Throughout the novel, All the King's Men by Robert Penn Warren, the characters are constantly feeling the effects of their action later in the book. Every one of their sinister, sketchy actions were dealt with again later in the book and not in pleasant circumstance. As Cass Mastern had figured out:
There are many interesting quotes of the protagonist, Harold “Peewee” Gates, that stood out to me in the book Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Myers. There were many quotes that revealed about his life but there were two that stood out to me. In a conversation Peewee is talking to Perry about how is life in the United States and army life are different. “‘But this is the first place I ever been in my life where I got what everybody else got.’” ~Peewee (page 15) This quote reveals that Peewee came from a rough place and grew up in poverty since this is the first time he has had what everyone else has. It also shows how strict his mother was because he wasn’t allowed to have what everyone else had or what he wanted besides basic necessities.
In this novel, The Piano Lesson, we learn that some characters are doing their best to leave their mark on the world. A main character, Boy Willie, continually attempts to do so. For instance, he says, “I got to mark my passing on the road. Just like you write on a tree, ‘Boy Willie was here.’” By this, he means that he wants to make sure the world knows that he was here, and that he left something behind. Just as his grandfather carved beautiful, intricate designs into the piano and left it for his family, Boy Willie wants to do something similar. For example, he wants to buy Sutter’s land and make it nice for generations to come. Ironically, Boy Willie wants to sell his grandfather’s statement in order to make his own.
...176). History provides a moral and spiritual point of reference for each new epoch. In All the King’s Men, Jack Burden the historian discovers that the past, honestly considered, does not deceive, nor do its vivid object lessons lead men astray. As Jack replays in his memory the actions of the characters (including himself) in the drama of his life, he grows to understand the roles played by those characters in his spiritual development, and to love them for their true nature. By contemplating the past in this manner, Jack builds out of truth and time a foundation that will raise him to stand strong in an uncertain future.
Murderer, liar, manipulator; these are only a few words that describe the enigmatic Sergeant John Wilson. In the historical book, The Secret Lives of Sgt. John Wilson: A True Story of Love & Murder, written by Lois Simmie, we get acquainted with the complex balancing act of a life John Wilson lived. We find out about his two-faced love life, the bloody solution, and the elaborate cover up. In Simmie’s thought-provoking book, John Wilson abandons his family in Scotland, for a better life in Canada on the force. John battles debilitating sickness along with the decision to double-cross his wife. His young love interest Jessie cares for him as he battles tuberculosis. While, “many young women Jessie’s age would have had second thoughts about commitment
played a kind of a passive role, he always wanted to be in the middle
This independent reading assignment is dedicated to Slaughterhouse-Five, written by Kurt Vonnegut. Vonnegut experienced many hardships during and as a result of his time in the military, including World War II, which he portrays through the protagonist of Slaughterhouse-Five, Billy Pilgrim. Slaughterhouse-Five, however, not only introduces these military experiences and the internal conflicts that follow, but also alters the chronological sequence in which they occur. Billy is an optometry student that gets drafted into the military and sent to Luxembourg to fight in the Battle of Bulge against Germany. Though he remains unscathed, he is now mentally unstable and becomes “unstuck in time” (Vonnegut 30). This means that he is able to perceive
... described as a man who“bathes daily in a swamp of corruption, including casual infidelity” (Keller). Willie Stark’s actual death in the novel symbolizes Huey Long’s “death” in the election for mayor following the unveiling of his less than acceptable actions.
Prior to the play, Boy Willie had not seen his sister in three years. During those three years he was incarcerated and was sentenced to labor at the Parchman Prison Farm. He is considered to be the most impulsive and prideful character in the play. Boy Willie believes he is of equal standing to the white man despite his racial background. He wants to sell the piano in order to “avenge” his father’s namesake while at the same time leaving his mark in the world despite his sister’s opposition in order to create his own legacy. He doesn’t believe the battle between black and white exists and that it‘s nothing more than a memory. However, he lives in his own world and ignores the reality. Failing to succeed is his fear. He doesn’t want to believe that he is below in standing than a white man. He wants to be able to leave his legacy in the world as he believes is his right.
The major idea I want to write about has to do with the way Mrs. Hale stands behind Mrs. Wright even though it seems like everyone else especially (the men) would rather lock her up and throw away the key. We see this right away when she gets on the County Attorney for putting down Mrs. Wright’s house keeping. I find this to be wonderfully symbolic in that most women of this time usually allowed the men to say whatever they wanted about their sex, never standing up for themselves or each other
The death of Willie Starks and the circumstances force Jack to rethink the way he thinks. He rethinks a belief that no one can ever be responsible for the evil actions of another individual over time. In a way Jack feels responsible for Willie’s death. Jack eventually marries Anne Stanton and he feels orthodox about his decision to marry her. Jack restarts his long lost hobby of working on a book about Cass Mastern.
Miller’s use of personification and symbolism in the book shows the situational irony that surrounds Willy. This highlights the overall message of blind faith towards the American Dream. The major case of irony in the book is Willy’s blind faith in the American Dream. This belief is that if one is well-liked, they will become successful. The truth is actually completely opposite. The real belief is that if one works hard, with no regard to how well liked they are, they will be successful. This relationship is shown between Willy and his neighbor Charley. While Willy believes likability is the only way to success, Charley works hard and does not care how people think of him. Through his hard work, Charley started his own business, and is now very successful. Willy, however, ends up getti...
McNair’s childhood when she sleepwalks to the pond as a kid. This is where Mrs.McNair always went to get away from things. This plays a big part when the little boy shows up in a dream like state. She is escaping to him, to the baby boy she connected with in the hospital. She is confused because the baby boy she connected with at the hospital wasn’t hers, yet she still dreams about him, about how he is doing. Mrs.McNair lost her own child and through a mistake in the hospital connected with someone else’s, who then had to be taken away from her. While she is dealing with that hardship her husband is never home during the week and is cheating on her. Yet society says she still needs to keep her prim and proper ways other wise she may cause uproar in society. On the other hand Mr.McNair was applauded for his actions, for sticking around with Mrs. McNair while having a mistress. He stayed the good guy throughout the story. While Mrs. McNair and other females during this time, were limited in almost everything that they did. Her actions reflected on her husband. The women of society had a duty to maintain this standard of perfection no matter what they were going through in their
Mark Twain’s The Adventure of Huckleberry Finn is one of the most classic American Literature Book. It consists of historical backgrounds, universality, and timelessness. But one of the most outstanding chapters of the book is chapter 27 and 28.In the two chapters, Twain’s use of the literary device – Characterization builds the character of Huckleberry Finn and show the different aspects of his character.
In actuality, she was defiant, and ate macaroons secretly when her husband had forbidden her to do so. She was quite wise and resourceful. While her husband was gravely ill she forged her father’s signature and borrowed money without her father or husband’s permission to do so and then boastfully related the story of doing so to her friend, Mrs. Linde. She was proud of the sacrifices she made for her husband, but her perceptions of what her husband truly thought of her would become clear. She had realized that the childlike and submissive role she was playing for her husband was no longer a role she wanted to play. She defied the normal roles of the nineteenth century and chose to find her true self, leaving her husband and children