During our few discussions in class, thus far, about All the King's Men, many people have emphasized the presence of corruption throughout the story. While I do recognize that corruption had a significant role in the plot line, I truly believe it was only a device used by Robert Warren Penn to get at the true meaning of his words. My observations lead me to believe that Penn wrote this book, not to highlight the corruption of mankind, but to highlight the complexity of mankind --which includes the good and the bad alike. Its seems that throughout the stories, the so-called villains have many redeeming qualities while Penn's little angels have their own demonic undertones.
First of all, Willie Stark, the classic corrupted politician, proves to have his own soft spots. This is best seen through his attempt to create the perfect hospital. He refuses, at first, to taint the sacred building with the corrupt hands of contractor Gummy Larson. Willie wants to design this legacy, a free hospital, so people would remember him for the good deeds he did. While the act is apparently selfish, there are a few moments when Willie seems genuinely concerned with the quality of the hospital for the people's sake-- especially when he chooses to hire Adam Stanton as the manager of the hospital. Also, Willie's devotion to his son, however misguided, demonstrates his truly loving nature. When Willie's son is injured in a car accident, Jack reports that the "Boss, pale as a starched sheet, and with his hair hanging and his eyes wild and sweat running down his cheeks, paced the floor of the waiting room and ground one fist into the palm of the other hand while his breath made a labored sound like the breath of his son in the room beyond." The Boss is clearly very worried for his son's safety. His love for his son is further demonstrated when, after Tom's death, he decides to name the hospital in memory of Tom Stark. From these examples, I believe that despite Willie's corruption, he had a desire to help his people and a devotion to those he cared about. Maybe this is what Anne was referring to when she told Jack (talking about Willie), "‘you’ve known him all these years and you don't know him at all.'"
On the other end of the spectrum, Judge Irwin, a supposedly honorable and caring man, has a very dishonorable past, as Jack finds out. Following a late night visit to the Judge, Willie asks Jack to uncover some dirt on Judge Irwin as a way to discredit the Judge after he sided with Willie's opponent. Jack doesn't believe that there is anything to find about the man, however, as Willie states, "Man is conceived in sin and born in corruption and he passeth from the stink of the didie to the stench of the shroud. There is always something." As it turns out, Judge Irwin was quite a shady character in his early days. "He had cuckolded a friend, betrayed a wife, taken a bribe, driven a man, though unwittingly, to death," Jack says on page 532. This respected Judge was filled with as much evil as Willie. Everyone thought him an angel; however, in truth, he was "conceived in sin and born in corruption" just like everyone else. Yet, staying true to his theme, Penn also demonstrates the good side of Judge Irwin. He was not only been a fair judge and a proud man, he also helped raise Jack after the scholarly attorney left. "After Ellis Burden went away [Judge Irwin] was more of a father to me than those men who had married my mother and come to live in Ellis Burden's house. And the Judge was a man." (page 61)
These two examples, and many more, emphasize an even greater theme in Penn’s All the King’s Men –man can be corrupt and evil or beautiful and spotless, but even the worst or the best of men generally have a little angel or demon in them. In other words, the world isn’t a black and white movie; it’s filled with color, and you have to remember to look at characters with that mindset.
