Jack and Willie

After completing the first three chapters of All the Kings Men I have been intrigued to go deeper into Jack and Willie’s relationship. A lot of details are unclear about Jack and Willie’s defined relationship, but with the events that have happened in the novel so far they have a pretty tight bond. Jack also relies on Willie to call the shots when it comes to his political stand points and social reasoning’s. I want to look deeper into the events that have occurred that factor and define the relationship between Willie and Jack.

                In chapter one jack recalls his first encounter with Willie Stark at Slade’s pool hall. In this situation Willie has a meek personality, but has a strong sense of self when he is bullied by Duffy and Slade when it comes to drinking a beer. He refuses alcohol and sticks to his wife’s wishes about not drinking alcohol. In this situation Willie is naïve and has weaker qualities than when described in the present, but he also experiences a transition in personality after being set up by Harrison. Jack comes in to play because he covered the school house story before Willie ran for governor and he also covered the story of Willie’s campaign. Jack and Willie have close bond that lasts through Willie’s transition into becoming a stern and greedy man. Jack can also be seen as a catalyst to Jack’s corruption. Before the barbeque Jack, to help Willie overcome his hangover, Jack had to fill him full of whiskey. Alcohol throughout the novel definitely highlights Willie’s corruption because whenever alcohol is present in Willie is involved with some unappealing and immature act. All these factors contribute to Willie and Jack’s relationship.

                In the third chapter Jack is tested on his true commitment to Willie and what he his true political views are in terms of believing in Willie’s policies. When Jack makes a trip back home to Burden’s landing he has dinner with some colleagues he is asked to express and defended his views about Willie. He defends Willie and keeps to true views about Willie. I was kind of confused about whay Jack does for Willie occupation wise because I think that totally affects the way that Jack views Willie. I also wanted to look at the relationships the Jack has outside of politics, such as the way he interacts with his mother he kind of shrugs her off and doesn’t seem to be totally invested in what she states and it is the same with other outside characters he interacts with. At the dinner, Jack is forced to entertain the pretty young Miss Dumonde, who irritates him. When he drives back to Willie's hotel, he kisses Sadie Burke on the forehead, simply because she isn't named Dumonde. I really want to know is it Willie that Jack has the true relationship with politics rather than with Willie. If that is so what attracts him to politics is it the same power that Willie is seeking or is something else.