All the King's Men by William Penn Warren is a novel that explores political society and its influences. Like many politicians in modern society, several characters possess qualities that seem unsuitable for the impression they left. These ironies in All the King's Men reveal how characters are flawed, which can have critical consequences. Jack Burden, Adam Stanton, Judge Irwin and Willie Stark are characters with ironic traits. Jack Burden is known as “the student of history” (Warren 372). The very fact that he is a historian is ironic, as he comes from a well-known, aristocratic family and grew up in Burden's Landing. However, Jack lacks the ambition necessary to excel in life and works for Willie, despite that family's disapproval. He “lacks not only ambition, but also ‘essential confidence’ in himself” (Bloom 132). If he had ambition, he could have married Anne Stanton sooner, because Anne always told him to "go back to state and get it over with" and she would then marry him "before he even 'gets his law degree' (448). However, Jack forced himself to get kicked out of school. Even as a historian, Jack can't handle the new things he learns about the people he is closely associated with. After learning that Lois was actually a person and not "merely a succulent machine", he entered one of the series of The Great Sleep (Warren 459). After learning of Anne Stanton's affair with Willie, Jack temporarily fled to the West because "when [people] don't like whey, [they] always go to the West" (Warren 464). Jack was not able to cope with this news that he had to leave to ease his mind. Furthermore, as a historian, he does not look into his own past. Concerning his father, he only knew that the Scholar...... middle of paper...... his characters. These ironic flaws contribute to their suffering throughout the novel. The flaws of Willie Stark, Adam Stanton, and Judge Irwin led to the ultimate punishment, death, and Jack Burden's flaws led to the temporary loss of his love interest, Anne Stanton. Works Cited Baker, Joseph E. “Irony in Fiction: 'All the King's Men.' '» Academic English. Flight. 9. JSTOR.Web. December 6, 2011.Bloom, Harold. ““The case of the just judge”: the nature of truth in all the king’s men. » “All the King’s Men” by Robert Penn Warren. Questia School. Internet. December 6, 2011. Martin, Glenn. “Diction in Warren’s ‘All the King’s Men’.” The English Journal. Flight. 58.JSTOR. Internet. December 6, 2011.Warren, Robert Penn. All the king's men. Orlando: Harcourt Inc., 1996. Wright, Andrew H. “Irony and Fiction.” The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism.Vol.12.JSTOR. Internet. December 6. 2011.