Peter Flamming, Post Two

Henry Burton is stuck in a dead campaign and he knows it. But deep inside him he doesn't want it to die, he is too attached to Jack Stanton and too caught up the job to quit or lose hope of the campaign. He knows the poor judgment of Jack Stanton and realizes that they are running a campaign for a man who has affairs with friend's daughters. But Henry looks at Jack Stanton and sees a great man, one who stands for something greater than just politics. Speeches like the one Jack gave to the crowd at Portsmouth in chapter five convince Henry Burton that Jack Stanton is a man worth fighting for and thus his hope for the campaign lives on.

Burton realizes that his work is exhausting and in all likelihood, futile. But he almost cannot imagine what else to do with his life. When asked by his stepfather, Arnie, if he wanted to work with him after the campaign failed, Burton defends the campaign and says that all is not lost. It’s as if Burton can't imagine his life without politics and the campaign. This is a reason why he dodged around Daisy's proposition about running away to the Caribbean in chapter five. Henry Burton feels a need to be in the race, to believe in it, and to finish it.