As I was reading “All The Kings Men” by Robert Penn Warren, I became increasingly interested in following Willie’s rise to power as it continues to build, and there is little sign of a slowdown. His corrupt character traits begin to appear when he realizes the secrets to political success are different than he originally imagined them to be. Willie begins to blackmail men who are in favor of impeachment of an auditor that he defends, all while still continuing to build crowds and give speeches throughout the day masking the “dirty work” going on behind the scenes. As Wille walks, he mumbles to himself, “…it may be the reason they don’t seem real to you is that you aren’t very real yourself” (Warren 86). As he continues to put on a false persona to the public; usually this only lasts so long in the public’s eye before the truth comes out. Will his overwhelming support last, or will it slowly decline in the future as the story goes on.
I do like the way that Robert Penn Warren tells the story and expresses the theme. The main theme right now could be relationship and friendship loyalty. Jack and Willie are both friends, and assist each other when uncovering information about a politician. Although they are both business partners, there is a developing friendship between them outside of their work. Willie may dislike people, but they still appreciate him, which is an interesting idea. The format of the novel is also structured in a way unique to the story. 
Thank you for sharing, Nick. I’ll be interested to see what you focus on! What I find interesting about ALL THE KINGS MEN is that Warren writes it modeling after the real-life Louisiana governor, Huey P. Long!
I completely agree with you on the authors character and plot development. I think Warren does a very good job at revealing Willie’s traits throughout the book, it adds to the suspense element he’s got going on. And I also agree that the theme could be focused on friendships and loyalty, especially how that comes into play in politics.