All the Kings Men: Historys Importance :: All the Kings Men Essays

All the Kings Men Historys Importance     Throughout All the Kings Men, tale plays an important role in the motivations and lives of all the characters. Historys importance is most noniceable, not surprisingly, in the story main characters - Willie wicked and Jack clog - whose lives centering on and, in some cases, depend upon memorial and how they relate themselves to it. duration Willie inexorable views business relationship as a tool with which to manipulate large number for his own ends, an attitude resulting in his own destruction, Jack Burdens view of history changes over time and eventually allows him to accept his relationship to the past and, therefore, present. Since each(prenominal) man has such a differing view it is no wonder that history becomes important to each in different ways. Willie Stark must advocate his entire empire in a world of enemies and corruption, to do this he relies on the past to provide him with the foundation.   "Dirts a funny thing," the Boss said. " fare to think of it, there aint a thing further dirt on this Gods green globe except whats under water, and thats dirt too. Its dirt makes the make grow. A diamond aint a thing in the world but a piece of dirt that got awful hot. God-a-Mighty picked up a smattering of dirt and blew on it and made you and me and George Washington and mankind blessed in faculty and apprehension. It all depends on what you do with the dirt."1 In this case, Stark is referring to the past as dirt - something to be used in some(prenominal) ways. The way he chooses to use it of course is as blackmail " wherefore he would lean suddenly forward, at the man, and say, not slow and light-colored now, God damn you, do you know what I can do to you? And he could too. For he had the goods."2 Thus history is important to Stark as the device by which he maintains magnate.   Both Stark and Burden use history differently a ccording to the way it figures into their lives. To Stark, ultimate power being paramount, history is a thing to be used in the manipulation of others to