The Awful Responsibility to Time

The Awful Responsibility of Time In Robert Penn Warren's famous novel All the King's Men, the foremost account of politics and a man's fall of power is contrasted with the more complex and intriguing tale of Jack Burden and his rise to a more complete character. By finally accepting his role in the order of events surrounding him, Jack becomes aware of his sin and learns to understand the importance of recognizing that his fate …

…the end of the novel, Jack writes that he "may now come to understand" (438) Cass Mastern, and begins a book on the subject he abandoned many years before. Thus, the Cass Mastern story becomes a kind of index against which Jack's progress as a character can be measured. The closer Jack comes to understanding Cass Mastern, the closer he is to accepting the idea of human responsibility in time. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ **Bibliography** All the King's Men