Is Willie Machiavellian?
Together, Willie Talos and Jack Burden exemplify a Machiavellian attitude on life. Willie exemplifies the action of Machiavelli, and Jack exemplifies the outlook. Willie will do whatever it takes to get his power, using his system of "getting dirt" on political rivals to sway votes in his favors. He believes that since no one else is playing fair, there is no reason he should either. When Jack asks how he is supposed to dig up dirt on the judge, an extremely honest man, Willie tells him, "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." (223) Willie tells Jack this because he believes that no matter what, men in power will always have done something wrong at some time, and whether or not the ends justified the means, using them will justify the means of Willie Talos.
Jack, on the other hand, exemplifies the attitude and outlook on life that Machiavelli would have. He sees everyone scurrying around him with a rather disinterested and detached view, that allows him to do something as atrocious as dig up dirt on someone who basically raised him from childhood, occupying the father figure in his life. Judge Irwin is one of the most upstanding figures that Jack knows, and was there for Jack when his father left him to be a priest, caring for the "unfortunates" who became more his children than Jack ever was. And yet, Jack still goes on a methodical search lasting 6 months for the one scrap of evidence that Willie Talos can use to discredit the judge. "A student of history does not care what he digs out of the ash-pile, the midden, the sublunary dung heap which is the human past." (223) Jack even admits it himself. He is so disinterested in the world that he has morals that are worth next to nothing and an insatiable curiosity to boot. He strangely reminds me of Holden Caulfield in the way that he simply cannot relate to life anymore, similar to Holden Caulfield. Whereas Holden simply cannot stand what he has become, Jack embraces it, and uses it to great extent in the service of Willie Talos.
Accurate. This book actually kind of reminds me of House of Cards. It's very cynical in its portrayal of what politics is like behind closed doors. I think the book is a little less edgy now simply because politicians today start their careers as greedy and self-serving, whereas Willie actually had to be corrupted first.
ReplyDeleteI liked how you chose write the core differences between Willie and Jack. Like you stated, Willie is the mastermind, while Jack is basically just his henchman. Like Machiavelli believed, to be a good ruler one must appear good to the public, but must be somewhat evil.
ReplyDelete" It is good to appear merciful,
truthful, humane, sincere, and religious; it
is good to be so in reality. But you must
keep your mind so disposed that, in case of
need, you can turn to the exact contrary." Machiavelli's "The Morals of the Prince"
Willie perfectly embodies the beliefs of Niccolo Machiavelli. To the public, he is just a "hick" that gained notoriety by fighting for the rights of the people; Willie's public persona is the people's man.
"Oh, God, I am punished for accepting iniquity and voting against an honest man!" Pg 92
When the fire escape came crashing down, the public started to love Willie. They saw him as somewhat who wanted to fight for the people and their safety.
What a majority of the public did not realize about Willie Talos is that he uses his power and influence to blackmail and bribe other influential political figures.
"Jack, make a note to find out something about Malaciah's boy and the killing." pg 30
While this excerpt does not necessarily expose corruption, it does foreshadow it. It shows how Willie gives out orders to "find out something about" a controversial event, like the killing of Malaciah's son.