All the King's Men Lesson Plan

Willie threatened Judge Irwin in Chapter 1. Why has it taken so long for the threat to return to Jack's narrative?

Some students may simply think it's Warren's choices about storytelling, that he's choosing to use and move through time in an unconventional way; in this case, prod them to consider what narrative impact this "unconventional" use of time has. They should also note that Jack considers Irwin to be a father figure much more secure than any of his other possible choices, and that it may, in fact, be painful for Jack to conduct this research. That is to say, he may be avoiding the subject as a narrator. Students might recall that in Chapter 1, Jack, looking back on...