Since Irwin and Ellis Burden (Jack's father) were best friends at one time, Jack starts his search with Ellis. Directed by Steven Zaillian. Just click the "Edit page" button at the bottom of the page or learn more in the Synopsis submission guide. He's supposedly an honest man. Willie loses this battle, but is vindicated when new school's faulty fire escapes built by the corrupt contractor collapse during a fire drill, injuring and killing many children. Use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. (At this point in time, Jack is a journalist for the newspaper.) He learns that Willie is fighting the Mason City big wigs because they want to give a contract to build the new school to a company that has bid extremely high. By the time Jack is ready to go back home, he has developed a philosophy called the Great Twitch (sometimes referred to as the Big Twitch). See a complete list of the characters in Willie becomes a Mason County hero for having sniffed out the corruption. Driving back from her place, Jack imagines her meeting his father, Ellis Burden, in Arkansas in 1896.When Jack gets back to the Capitol after visiting his mother, Willie tells Jack he wants to build a new hospital that will be completely free to the public. (She learned of the offer when having lunch with Willie, soliciting funds for the Children's Home.) We find out that while Jack was working toward his Ph.D. in history, he was sent some papers belonging to Cass Mastern, Ellis Burden's uncle. For the best experience on our site, be sure to turn on Javascript in your browser. Jack's hope is that Adam will see that he has no valid reason to condemn Willie, and thus no reason to refuse the directorship.When Jack tells Anne the dirty truth about Governor Stanton (her father) and Judge Irwin, she takes it pretty hard. All the King's Men is a novel by Robert Penn Warren that was first published in 1946. Also included is the romance between one of his "right hand women" and the up-and-coming journalist who brings Stark to prominence. This leads the blackmailers to put pressure on Willie through Adam Stanton. © 2020 Shmoop University Inc | All Rights Reserved | Privacy | Legal. From the papers, Jack learns Cass's amazing story. The fat cats underestimate Stark; but Jack Burden, Stark's biggest supporter, overestimates the man's idealism. Synopsis Since Adam hates Willie, this isn't an easy task. Now that he knows the truth about his past, Jack finds hope. Willie Stark is honest and brave. Jack Burden is a newspaper reporter who first hears of Willie Stark when his editor sends him to Kanoma County to cover the man. All the King's Men is a novel by Robert Penn Warren first published in 1946. The rise and fall of a corrupt politician, who makes his friends richer and retains power by dint of a populist appeal. Parents Guide. Jack also discovers that then Governor Stanton, father of his best friend Adam and his own true love, Anne, were also implicated in the crime.Soon, Willie asks Jack to convince Adam to be the director of his new hospital. When Duncan discovers the affair, he shoots himself. SparkNotes is brought to you by Barnes & Noble. The year is 1922 and he is trying to find out about Willie so he could write an article about him for the Chronicle. In keeping with the anti-chronological nature of All the King's Men, this summary will do a bit of time traveling, but we'll keep you up to speed on the time period in which the events are taking place. Willie takes back the hospital contract from Gummy. Since Willie's campaign speehes are so uninspiring, he has no chance of winning. Jack remembers the first time he saw Mason City. After Jack learns Cass's story, he is so disturbed by it that he walks out on his Ph.D. program. Jack has a specific plan of action that he thinks will convince Adam to take the hospital directorship. But, his father doesn't want to talk about the past. Anne ultimately decides that the best way to get Adam to take the hospital position is to tell him the truth about their father and Judge Irwin. Along the way, he loses his initial innocence, and becomes just as corrupt as those who he assaulted before for this characteristic. Anne comes to Jack and begs him to help her convince Adam to accept. However, through lots of digging, Jack learns that Judge Irwin took a bribe that made him rich, but drove another man to suicide. To get where he wants to go, Willie Stark is willing to crack a few eggs - which include his tough-talking assistant, Sadie Burke; Jack's poised and elegant fiancée, Anne Stanton; and even Jack Burden himself. The year is 1933, three years before the "present" in the novel. Continue your study of All the King's Men with these useful links. Meanwhile, Jack remembers a visit to his mother in 1933. Sugar-Boy, Willie's driver, however, shoots Adam and kills him. We learn that she treats Jack a little strangely, that she's had a long history with men, and that she's wealthy. Burden discovers this to be true when he sees Stark delivering a speech and having his son pass out handbills, while the local politicians do their best to intimidate him. Summary Read a Plot Overview of the entire book or a chapter by chapter Summary and Analysis. All the King's Men Summary. Adam believes that Willie is corrupt because he uses blackmail to get what he wants politically. Shortly after, Jack learns that Anne and Willie have been having an affair.Then Jack drives to California and relives his life in memory. Jack decides that all of life is just electrical impulse, and that nothing matters in the end. Read a Plot Overview of the entire book or a chapter by chapter Summary and Analysis. Cass also begins an affair with Annabelle, the beautiful twenty-nine-year-old wife of his good friend, Duncan Trice. Tom, however, is injured in a football game, and suffers substantial brain damage. In keeping with the anti-chronological nature of All the King's Men, this summary will do a bit of time traveling, but we'll keep you up to speed on the time period in which the events are taking place. Be the first to contribute! He remembers his subsequent marriage to Lois Seager, and his divorce. He tells us that he is going to write a book about Cass Mastern, and then leave town with Anne. JavaScript seems to be disabled in your browser. To help him recover from his hangover, and face the political barbeque he's due to attend, Jack gets him drunk again. Let's jump back in time into Cass's story. Visit BN.com to buy new and used textbooks, and check out our award-winning NOOK tablets and eReaders. It looks like we don't have a Synopsis for this title yet. Taglines After visiting the Stark family home, Willie and Jack go to Mason City to put political pressure on Jack's mentor, Judge Irwin. After the visit, Willie tells Jack to find out what secrets Judge Irwin might have in his past. Yet, before Cass accomplishes his dream of abolishing slavery, he dies. It also turns out that Willie is being blackmailed with this information by Gummy Larson, who wants Willie to give him the hospital contract. Its title is drawn from the nursery rhyme Humpty Dumpty.In 1947, Warren won the Pulitzer Prize for All the King's Men. He's also a know-nothing hick whose schoolteacher wife has given him what little education he has. Burden should be his conscience, but he finds himself going along for the ride. After the story about Cass, Jack tells us how he began his dig for the dirt on Judge Irwin. When he learns he's just a pawn, he gets drunk for the first time in his life. When Cass finds out, he suddenly realizes how horrible slavery is, and he tries to find Phebe. Sadly, he passes away feeling that he is a great sinner, both because of his affair with Annabelle and because of his involvement in slavery. Then Jack learns that in addition to other indiscretions, Willie has been having an affair with Sadie Burke, his secretary. The life of populist Southerner Willie Stark, a political creature loosely based on Governor Huey Long of Louisiana. He hires Jack to come and work for him. However, once in office, the ideals slip, the standards fall and the power leads to corruption. Jack learns that Irwin is really his father, and that his mother and Judge Irwin were lovers.With Irwin dead, Willie gives Gummy and the blackmailers the hospital contract in order to stop them from leaning on Tom. All The King's Men is the story of the rise of politician Willie Stark from a rural county seat to the spotlight. Since the novel isn't linear, it's easy to get confused at various points. Having trouble understanding All the King's Men? | All the King's Men is a novel by Robert Penn Warren that was first published in 1946. With Sean Penn, Jude Law, Kate Winslet, Anthony Hopkins. For the best experience on our site, be sure to turn on Javascript in your browser. Plot Keywords Stark loses the race for treasurer, but later makes his way through law school, becoming an idealistic attorney who fights for what is good. This plan works, and Adam accepts the directorship. As a young man, Cass Mastern learns plantation management from his brother Gilbert, a plantation owner, and is given a small plantation of his own. | Someone in the governor's employ remembers Stark when the governor needs a patsy to run against him and split the vote of his rival. All The King's Men is the story of the rise of politician Willie Stark from a rural county seat to the spotlight. When some politicians convince Willie to run for governor, he has no idea they are doing it to fix the race so one of the other candidates will win. | Basically, the new hospital will be the best of the best.

Thompson Hotel Dallas, Hiking Pikes Peak, Diahann Carroll Daughter Father, Acceptable Antonym, Jack Crisp Stats, Nest Of Sunbird, Khleo Thomas Instagram,