In today's America, where the name of honor is often falsified by blaring headlines proclaiming the guilt of an immoral politician or the fall of a disgraced executive, it is easy to forget that the This country was founded for the search for truth, because only in the truth can people find true happiness. Thomas Jefferson included the pursuit of happiness as an inalienable right in the Declaration of Independence, but in an intimate letter to William Roscoe, a British historian, Jefferson wrote: "This institution will be based on the unlimited liberty of the human spirit . Because here, we are not afraid to follow the truth wherever it leads us. In his seminal novel, All the King's Men, Robert Penn Warren adheres to the principles of the Founding Father by characterizing both Willie Stark and Jack Burden. Warren's novel is an American classic as it traces the lives of two lost men as each follows his personalized compass pointing toward complete understanding. After elevating him to unprecedented heights, Willie's interpretation of the truth returns to drag him to the Underworld. It's only when Jack learns that even Willie can't be all-powerful that he stops trying to figure everything out. Willie Stark and Jack Burden embody the essence of Thomas Jefferson's words because, in a sense, they both achieve freedom through their quest for truth. At heart, Willie Stark is a good man with good intentions, but his philanthropic nature clashes with his ardent desire. for success. Cousin Willie's political career was shaped by his search for truth. After the school incident, Willie is proclaimed an "honest man" and is thrust into the race for governor (Warren 97). But Willie is heartbroken when Sadie Burke cruelly informs him: “You are a…… middle of paper… also come to the conclusion that complete understanding is not only impossible but also undesirable. Accordingly, Jack agrees with Ellis Burden who asserts that “separation [from God] is identity,” and since only God knows everything, ignorance is a quality that all humans share (Warren 659). It is ironic that the world seems clearer to Jack when he realizes that men are naturally ignorant than when he sought to understand everything. Jack's progress lies in his ability to "distinguish the search for knowledge from Complete Knowledge itself" (Wolf). Jack realizes that only humans have the freedom to pursue knowledge, while possessing complete knowledge destroys the purpose of life. Jack's revelations come at the expense of others, namely Judge Irwin, Willie and Adam, but it is necessary for Jack to learn that freedom comes from realizing the truth..