But, in his quest to do good, he ends up causing bad things.īurton, in contrast adopts a nihilistic attitude in which he ignores any results of his action. He is convinced there is only evil in the world, so he must use that evil as a tool to make good. Stark believes that the ends justify the means - that it is ok to accumulate power by any means necessary because he is doing good with that power. Neither man has trouble rationalizing his choices. Like Willie, Burden abandons his ideals as he carries out Willie's plans - ignoring the consequences of his actions.Īnd the book is very much about the consequences of actions.
It is as at least as much about Jack Burden - Stark's friend and right-hand man and the narrator of Warren's novel. He built and presided over his own political machine.Įventually, Willie encounters problems against which he is powerless.īut All the King's Men is not just the story of Willie Stark. He often resorted to bullying, bribery, and blackmail to accomplish his goals and maintain his power. But he was also brutal and would not hesitate to destroy his enemies. Willie was charismatic and popular because he championed the common man. Eventually, he became known to all his associates as "The Boss". But, as he accumulated more power, he lost the idealism of his youth.
Willie continued his fight against the political establishment and eventually became governor.
His first entry into public life was to fight against a back-room deal that handed a school construction project to an undeserving contractor - a deal that resulted in the deaths and injury of dozens of children when a fire escape collapsed a couple years later.
Stark began as "Cousin Willie from the country". All the King’s Men by Robert Penn Warren tells the story of Willie Stark - a southern country lawyer who beat the system and became Governor.
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