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CONFESSION OF JACK BURDEN (ROBERT PENN WARREN)

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Date Issued:
1987
Summary:
The narrative structure of All the King's Men conforms to the religio-ritual pattern of Confession. While he pretends to recount Willie Stark's career in an objective manner, Jack is actually burying his own guilt under this veneer of detachment. He must, in fact, assume much of the responsibility for the story's final tragedy. When he is unable to curtail his anguish by removing himself from the truth, however, he admits his responsibility. His penance takes the form of seeking reconciliation with people for whom he once felt a deep contempt--and when he forgives their frailty, he experiences forgiveness for his frailty. Jack is therefore able to continue on in hope. And so, like the Ancient Mariner, Jack experiences a measure of peace after telling his story.
Title: THE CONFESSION OF JACK BURDEN (ROBERT PENN WARREN).
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Name(s): WONG, PHILIP CHRISTOPHER.
Florida Atlantic University, Degree grantor
Coyle, William, Thesis advisor
Type of Resource: text
Genre: Electronic Thesis Or Dissertation
Issuance: monographic
Date Issued: 1987
Publisher: Florida Atlantic University
Place of Publication: Boca Raton, Fla.
Physical Form: application/pdf
Extent: 52 p.
Language(s): English
Summary: The narrative structure of All the King's Men conforms to the religio-ritual pattern of Confession. While he pretends to recount Willie Stark's career in an objective manner, Jack is actually burying his own guilt under this veneer of detachment. He must, in fact, assume much of the responsibility for the story's final tragedy. When he is unable to curtail his anguish by removing himself from the truth, however, he admits his responsibility. His penance takes the form of seeking reconciliation with people for whom he once felt a deep contempt--and when he forgives their frailty, he experiences forgiveness for his frailty. Jack is therefore able to continue on in hope. And so, like the Ancient Mariner, Jack experiences a measure of peace after telling his story.
Identifier: 14366 (digitool), FADT14366 (IID), fau:11169 (fedora)
Collection: FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection
Note(s): Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters
Thesis (M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 1987.
Subject(s): Warren, Robert Penn,--1905---All the king's men
Held by: Florida Atlantic University Libraries
Persistent Link to This Record: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/14366
Sublocation: Digital Library
Use and Reproduction: Copyright © is held by the author, with permission granted to Florida Atlantic University to digitize, archive and distribute this item for non-profit research and educational purposes. Any reuse of this item in excess of fair use or other copyright exemptions requires permission of the copyright holder.
Use and Reproduction: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Host Institution: FAU
Is Part of Series: Florida Atlantic University Digital Library Collections.