Banned Books: All the King's Men by Robert Penn Warren

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All the King’s Men by Robert Penn Warren



Jack Burden was a political reporter for Chronicle. That was until Willie Stark, the newly elected Governor, reached out to Burden offering him a position on his staff. Willie and Jack have a history. Jack can remember back in 1922, before Willie Stark had ever run for Governor, meeting him in the back of a bar while discussions were taking place about the construction of a school. Back then Jack wasn’t even drinking. He was an honest man, husband to a school teacher, and son to a farmer. But that was over a decade ago. Both men have changed quite a lot. Governor Stark isn’t as trusted as he used to be, something to be considered with his position of power and keeping certain people in line. Many people know of his different affairs outside of his marriage, but they turn a blind eye because of how much they respect his wife. Jack is essential to Willie’s staff. He trust Jack. Jack is the guy that can dig up dirt as long as there is dirt to be found. Now that the political alliance of Judge Irwin has changed, the Judge is Jack’s new target. The information he finds will change everyone’s life, including Jack’s. He doesn’t know this when he begins his search. He is just doing his job.
All the King’s Men was as much about Jack Burden, our narrator, as it was about Willie Stark and the corrupt politics he employed. This novel is one of reflection. Burden, by remembering his life as a companion and friend to his Boss, is considering the path that he took in life. How did he become the man so entrenched in the inner workings, however corrupt, of Governor Stark? Jack is looking at his own transformation from the reporter that was tracking Stark’s first race for Governor, to the man that Stark confided to and trusted. It was a long road that stretched over decades. The change didn’t all happen at once and Jack knows that is true for both men.
This was an easy novel to enjoy. Warren wrote an extremely hypnotic story about the transformation of man. It’s filled with blackmail, back door dealings, threats and, more so than anything, the struggle to get ahead. Everyone is looking out for themselves. They know what relationships will benefit them and which ones may cost them more than their jobs. Each circumstances leant itself to a new problem, that had to be solved. It was an interesting novel filled with well developed, interesting, believable characters. Now, I’ll be the first to admit that this isn’t a light hearted read. It is filled with a reality that politics can be messy and that not every person that runs for office has the best intentions for their constituents. The seeming immorality of the novel and the “depressing” view this novel has is the reason why it was challenged in Dallas in 1974. The Dallas Independent School District, who was approached with the challenge, rejected it. Even though some did not approve the way in which the message was conveyed they weren’t, in this case, allowed to stop others from enjoying the Pulitizer Prize winning novel about politics.


“The Challenging of All the King’s Men”     http://www.noladefender.com/content/challenging-all-kings-men    Retrieved 07/13/2014

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