All the King’s Men (Cyclopedia of Literary Characters, Revised Third Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: Robert Penn Warren
- First Published: 1946
- Type of Work: Novel
- Type of Plot: Social realism
- Time of Work: Late 1920’s and early 1930’s
- Setting: The Southern United States
- Genres: Long fiction, Social realism, Roman à clef
- Subjects: Journalism or journalists, Power, personal or social, Murder or homicide, South or Southerners, 1920’s, 1930’s, Blackmail, Politicians, Assassination, Corruption, Scandal, Bribery
- Locales: South (U.S.)
Characters Discussed
Willie Stark, called “the Boss,” the governor of the state. A relentless, unyielding man, Willie has the capacity and the will to break anyone who opposes him. Often ruthless, he is not entirely bad, but his dictatorial powers grow until he is the leader of a powerful political machine. Nevertheless, he does more for the ordinary people of his state than did his more aristocratic predecessors. By improving schools, roads, and hospitals, he leaves these things behind him as monuments after his death. At last, even Jack Burden realizes that there was a...
[The entire page is 963 words long]
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