The Nature of Democracy
"To act with entire honesty and self-respect, one should always live in a pure atmosphere, and the atmosphere of politics is impure"(Adams, 44). And with such words, the essence of Democracy by Henry Adams, is captured through the words of character Senator Silas Ratcliffe. For Ratcliffe, democracy represents a political playground that excludes human emotion and morals, and abides by Machiavelli's notion of the end justifying the means. Democracy is a unique system in American politics that manifests power and power's ability to corrupt. However, for Mrs. Madeline Ross Lee, democracy and political life in general is a dirty business. Her disgust with politics culminates until she realizes that until there is a better alternative to democracy, she must live in this institution while trying to maintain her virtues of morality and honesty. As Winston Churchill effectively stated, "Many forms of Government have been tried, and will be tried in this world of sin and woe. No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed, it has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all those other forms that have been tried from time to time."
Ratcliffe, for example, only attends church because he feels it will enhance his public image. Madeline "had got to the bottom of this business of democratic government, and found out that it was nothing more than government of any other kind" (175) Both are corrupt and Madeline is urgent to quit this "masquerade" and return to "the true democracy of life" (175). Democracy therefore is not impartial, as money, status, gender and connections influence this system that should be solely operated on a matter of ability, laws and principles. Thus situating herself in the midst of activity, she along with her sister quickly become popular among the Capital's senators, lobbyists, foreign diplomats, and politicians. By the end of the novel, Madeline has been inundated with so much information about politics, both in general and in a democratic sense, that she is yearning to escape this political show and return to a less scandalous life. Washington, being the political hot spot, Madeline knows that above everything she wants to learn, what she really "wanted was POWER" (Adams). She inquires, "Is a respectable government impossible in a democracy?," to which Ratcliffe replies, "Purify society and you purify the government. Carrington seems to have enough and rejects Ratcliffe's offer for appointment and moves to Mexico. Also, money is a factor, as money talks and it even gives Madeline an advantage. Yet shockingly, Ratcliffe feels no remorse for his actions; "I am not proud of the transaction, but I would do it again, and worse than that if I thought it would save this country from disunion" (60). Stripped of emotion, intelligence and creativity, these figures represent the majority of politicians residing in Washington. Politicians become so engrossed in winning supporters and trying hard to be politically correct, that they quickly lose sight of their own beliefs and develop blind ignorance to morals. Madeline and her sister likewise have enough of this charade and are happy to return to their life of "paupers and her prisons, her schools and her hospitals" (175). The president, a supposed figure of ultimate authority and guidance, is nothing more than an unfeeling puppet, a stoic trained to serve the public in ways deemed politically correct.
Common topics in this essay:
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Ross Lee,
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Acceptance Essays
