All the King's Men

For the first time in a long while, Jack returns home to visit his mother. She disapproves of Jack’s choice to work for Willie, and they argue over it. She tells him that her new husband, Theodore, can get him a job. The next day, he takes a walk by the bay and remembers a picnic he had with Anne and Adam when he was a teenager. It was the first time he really saw Anne as a person, and the seeds of a future love were planted. Jack goes with his mother and her husband to eat dinner at Judge Irwin’s house with neighbors, and when the party retires to another room for coffee and politics, everyone openly criticizes Willie, believing that Jack’s allegiances still lie with the town rather than with Willie. Jack seethes quietly for many minutes, though he does eventually push back.

The next day, Jack’s mother speaks to him about his behavior and begs him not to become involved with any corruption and to please find himself a girl. He tells her not to worry about him, and that he is fine as he is. Jack realizes that his mother loves him but commits to leaving town.