Politics in The Big Money essays

Politics in The Big Money essays Politics is one of the major themes of "The Big Money" because politics, and people's reactions to political leaders, were such a big part of the early 20th century. This was a time when workers were fighting for their rights all around the world, and sometimes, they paid the ultimate price for their beliefs, they died for their cause. It was also a time of war, 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 a time of great contrasts in America, as this novel clearly shows. In "The Big Money," character Charley Anderson is a war hero who can pretty much write his own ticket after World War I, but he is a weak man who does not use his advantages effectively. He is an alcoholic and a womanizer, "he had to have some kind of a girl" (Passos 323-324), and he illustrates the effect war had on many people of the times, it ruined their lives. Charley is a weak man, and part of his weakness is that he has no care about anyone else but himself. He is typical of the time, and the author uses him as an example of how not to live your life. Mary French, on the other hand, is a woman who cares about others and their welfare more than she cares about herself. The author shows her " working away at her desk with her tongue bitter and her mouth dry from too much smoking would look at her yellow stained fingers and push her untidy uncurled hair off her forehead and feel badly dressed and faded and unattractive " (Passos 448). 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. Money is at the root of this book, because money fuels the politicians' and their lifestyles, and money fuels the ambitions of Charley and the other main character, Margo Dowling. Mary is idealistic and believes she can make a ...