Politics in The Big Money
Politics is one of the major themes of "The Big Money" becausepolitics, and people's reactions to political leaders, were such a big partof the early 20th century. This was a time when workers were fighting fortheir rights all around the world, and sometimes, they paid the ultimateprice for their beliefs, they died for their cause. It was also a time ofwar, and recovery from war. Many returning war heroes could not find jobs,while the rich and powerful just got richer and more powerful. It was atime of great contrasts in America, as this novel clearly shows. In "The Big Money," character Charley Anderson is a war hero who canpretty much write his own ticket after World War I, but he is a weak manwho does not use his advantages effectively. He is an alcoholic and awomanizer, "he had to have some kind of a girl" (Passos 323-324), and heillustrates the effect war had on many people of the times, it ruined theirlives. Charley is a weak man, and part of his weakness is that he has nocare about anyone else but himself. He is typical of the time, and theauthor uses him as an example of how not to live your life. Mary French,on the other hand, is a woman who ca
Mary is idealistic and believes she can make adifference, something common in youth. The author shows her " working away at herdesk with her tongue bitter and her mouth dry from too much smoking wouldlook at her yellow stained fingers and push her untidy uncurled hair off herforehead and feel badly dressed and faded and unattractive " (Passos 448). He had no experience with ruthless businessmen like Insull, and neither didMary. He is aman who sees others' weaknesses, and knows how to capitalize on them. Politics has always been a powerful place in American society,and politics can affect the lives of the people in many ways. Veblen consistently "pointed out the alternatives: awarlike society strangled by the bureaucracies of the monopolies forced bythe law of diminishing returns to grind down more and more the common manfor profits" (Passos 101). He is representative of the politics at the time, which seem far differentfrom the politics of today, but with the recent events in Washington andaround the country, such as the overpayments to Halliburton and others, arewe really so far different now than they were then' Thorstein Veblen is the exact opposite of Insull for many reasons. Money is at theroot of this book, because money fuels the politicians' and theirlifestyles, and money fuels the ambitions of Charley and the other maincharacter, Margo Dowling. He believed in the laborer and the working class, justlike Mary French, and just like Mary, he was idealistic to believe therewas enough good in most people that they would work for his causes, too. Insull is a consummate politician, even though he is anindustrialist who created the first huge and successful monopoly. Veblen told it like it was, aboutpolitics, politicians, and big business, and no one wanted to hear it. Thus, he was unpopular with students, whowanted quick cash from their upcoming careers, and the administration, whowanted more donations for their schools. She gives up her own happiness to fight the political bosses of the time,who want to keep the unions from gaining power and money. They did not see that their cause was doomed because they did nothave anyone rich and powerful behind them, and they were opposing bigbusiness, who did.
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