communication breakdown

Book Review: All The King's Men (1946)

[ 6 / 10 ] Widely considered one of the greatest American novels, Robert Penn Warren's epic is a fictionalized account of the rise and fall of Willie Stark, who is loosely based on 1930's Louisiana governor Huey Long. It is a multi-layered, complex work, rife with lush imagery and powerful human interaction. It also presents a formidable task for the casual reader: not only is it large and lacking in frequent chapter breaks, but the depth of the writing commands close and careful attention. Despite this, there is something about this novel that has been drawing readers to it for almost 60 years. In my opinion, it is the fact that Warren has a unique talent for exploring the human psyche, and his novel is so powerfully introspective that you cannot help but be moved by its force...

While the novel might masquerade as the story of Willie Stark, at its core it tells the tale of Jack Burden, Willie's right-hand man, and narrator of our story. Stark might be more popular, more successful, and more dynamic than Burden, but it is Jack who is the more complex and interesting character. It just so happens that Willie's rollercoaster story is a nice backdrop on which to paint the picture of Jack Burden's life. The book jumps back and forth through time and history, but eventually we learn that Burden was not always Willie's trusted friend, and with good reason - Stark seemed to be nothing more than a poor, simple redneck farmer with aspirations of becoming a lawyer. Nobody, including Jack himself, knew about the fire that burned in Willie's spirit. But Willie knew. And he kept his secret closely guarded, until one day when he unleashed his passion and fury on an unsuspecting public who were craving for his message of change with a zealous lust. Like a whirlwind, Willie Stark became governor and he hired Jack Burden as his personal advisor and confidant.

Burden, by contrast, is a man who has been slowly defeated by time and circumstances. While an idealist by nature, he has become jaded and cynical, content to brood over situations and overanalyze things rather than take proactive steps to make his life better. When we meet him we find that little good has ever happened to him: a dysfunctional family life, few meaningful relationships, and no sense of purpose. Despite all of this, he is excellent at his job - whether it is putting heat on a member of Willie's opposition, or digging up dirt on a potential threat, he executes his duties with a grim sense of purpose. Throughout all of this, he slowly reveals the tapestry of his life, and we learn about his family, friends, and relationships. His thorough attention to detail provides us a rich picture of the events which have led to his disillusionment.

Other characters weave in and out of their lives, but Willie and Jack are the undoubtable core of this tale. Each character raises interesting questions. Jack's first story about Willie relates his uncanny ability to transform almost instantaneously from mild-mannered simpleton to a wild-eyed demagogue with a penchant for invigorating a crowd. Which is the real Willie Stark - the quiet ommoner, the wild man, or both? With Jack, you cannot help but wonder what has led to his cynicism. Throughout the story, Jack himself searches for the answer to this question, and in the course of finding the answer, he discovers himself, and ultimately sets off a startling series of events which bring the book to a powerful and moving conclusion.

Despite all of this, I found the book to be painfully hard to finish. Portions of the book, the middle section in particular, seemed to crawl along - and the complexity of Warren's use of the language only magnified the problem. While I can appreciate good imagery, page-long sentences about minutiae really try my patience. And while Jack's story eventually becomes fascinating, in the early stages of his self-exploration he has a tendency to go on long tangents about metaphysical concepts which I found hard to follow with devoted attention. While I felt the book was exceedingly long for the subject matter, I don't think there is any portion of the story that felt ripe for cutting. I think my gripe with the novel is Warren's tendency to linger on subjects, especially minor ones, for far too long. There is no doubt that his talent for imagery is extensive. But in this case, perhaps it was too extensive.

Yet I would still recommend avid readers to give the novel a try. There is no doubt that the story is interesting, assuming you can wade your way through the initial slow parts to reach the thrilling climax. And the novel is saturated with fascinating insight on humanity. There are numerous portions of the book where I became self-reflective, finding myself in Jack Burden at times. I wish I had enjoyed All the King's Men more, but the fact remains that it took a great amount of personal resolve to wade through the denseness of the book.