Past in the Present

This is late, but I think that the entire purpose of Chapter 4 was to relate back to Jack and his life in the present. Cass and all the individuals that surrounded that story can be found translated back to the people in Jack’s own life. In a way, it seems like this is how Jack is trying to learn more about the story. Jack had all the facts, but not the truths, and through this selection of people, he can understand those truths that he left decades before.

                Cass reminded me the most of Willie, in his attitude and the way he went from an uneducated sap to a man that could run his own business.  Like Willie, Cass grew up uneducated and not ready to enter into any political or business management position. But over the course of a few years both “were not hobbledehoy” (245) and had learned how to manage certain aspects of the realm they had not understood earlier. They both had the use of mentors (for Cass it was Gilbert and for Willie it was Jack), that helped them develop into these educated men though. Both grew into men that could organize and successfully run a plantation and an entire government. Both were also interested in politics, although not at first (252). Willie became a good politician because Jack encouraged him and told him what to do at all time. Willie developed into this strong natured individual after this and made his own decisions about the policies that he was enforcing. Cass was forced into politics by Gilbert. Although Cass did not want to enter into this work field, he learned that he could be quite successful at it, yet he did not stay in the political field long.

                Gilbert also reminded me of Jack, in how he developed the Cass/Willie character and also how they continuously would take control of a situation. Jack and Gilbert encouraged and mentored their respected individual and brought them into the political and management positions that they had throughout their lives. Without Gilbert/ Jack, Cass/ Willie would not have been the success that they were. Cass wrote that “Gilbert treats me like a wayward and silly child” (274), just like Jack treats Willie in the beginning. Because both of the characters were so lost in the beginning of their political careers, Jack and Gilbert had to guide them and treat them like young children because they were so ignorant to the important business surrounding them. Jack considered Willie a sap in the beginning of his career and had to direct him in everything that Willie did. Both Gilbert and Jack are also not the forefront of the story. Willie is the Governor, and Cass was the focal point of the history paper, and the two other men were not primary characters. Although they were not the leading roles, they still had such a great influence that they might as well have been the lead character.

                Although chapter 4 seems really random, it does tie back into the life that Jack and Willie are leading during the main course of the story. It was interesting to try and find the links between the characters because there were so many of them throughout the chapter.