Nick Murphy- Post One

The “anonymous” Joe Klein decided to narrate the story through the eyes of Henry Burton, the man who is added to Jack Stanton’s campaign staff at the beginning of the story. This is a good choice by Klein because of how different Burton acts compared to the other people he encounters who strive towards the success of Stanton. These people have a fast-paced, ‘get things done right now’ attitude towards campaigning for their candidate, allowing them to complete tasks quicker and address their important issues with great confidence. Yet it leaves them with a weakness which Burton does not possess (in terms of narration). Henry Burton asks more questions, usually stopping and thinking about possible outcomes of situations, allowing him to be much more observant than other characters, ultimately forcing him to examine all sides of an issue. He is also much more relaxed than the rest of the staff, displaying poise and keeping things professional, as opposed to the swearing, uptight demeanor of the other people Burton meets throughout his experience with Stanton.

It is for these reasons that Henry Burton was the best choice for the narrator, an example of it being shown in chapter four when Henry is woken up by Libby early in the morning to be told that Cashmere McLeod had obtained taped evidence of her and Stanton’s telephone conversations. Libby clearly had a sense of urgency in this call to Henry, rapidly dishing out commands to him so that the message could be relayed to Jack Stanton as soon as possible. When Henry wanted to ask her some further questions to receive more information, she quickly scolded him and repeated her instructions. Henry keeps his cool unlike Libby (who is clearly distraught at this point) and delivers the message to Stanton. Through his experience in politics, Burton can see the darker side of Stanton start to show itself when he admits that he did indeed have the intimate conversations with McLeod. Burton simply proves to the reader that his combination of observation, comprehension, and experience make him the best choice for the narrator.