Book Review: Captains and the Kings
Taylor Caldwell's Story of Greed, Conspiracy, and Desire for Money
Joseph Armagh arrives in America in 1854, an impoverished orphan with a younger brother and sister to provide for. In his drive to pursue success and money, Joseph makes
powerful allies and enemies, practically alienates his family, and gets involved with conspiracies in his drive for success.
The Irish-American Anti-Hero
Caldwell accomplishes two things with Captains and the Kings and she does them both very well. The first accomplishment that this book has it tells a memorable sprawling story with fascinating characters. Standing at the center of this large cast is Armagh himself.
Joseph is an easy person to be fascinated with or drawn to, but not an easy person to like. He is a completely contradictory character. As he gets involved with dangerous circumstances like slave trading, bootlegging, and shady business deals, he wants more of what these people have to offer. He is a very dark character who scoffs at any hope or optimism.
Joseph orders the death or disgrace of most enemies with very little conscience. He marries an unstable woman for position and ostracizes her in pursuit of another woman. He dominates his brother and sister and becomes furious when they begin lives of their own.
But Joseph is not a one-dimensional character. He is a very multi-faceted man with a bit of humanity that shows every once in awhile. He has a very romantic and chivalrous side which he shows in his scenes with Elizabeth, a vulnerable woman with a cruel husband. At first dismissive of his children, he slowly begins to accept them and take pride in them up to the point where he tries to make his eldest son the first Catholic President of the United States (about 50 years before John F. Kennedy would do this in real life)
One of the most touching scenes that shows Joseph’s better character is where he shows real regret in disgracing a senator, whom he realizes is a truly good man. Joseph isn’t aware of the ramifications of this moment until years later after he loses some family members.
Government Conspiracies: The People Behind the People
The other accomplishment that Caldwell achieves with Captains and the Kings is to tell a story of the real power behind the government. Joseph comes into a world of The Committee of Foreign Relations; shadowy men who make decision that affect the world around them.
Joseph and later his son, Rory, become involved in some chilling meetings where these men discuss upcoming world wars, stock market panics and crashes, and Communist uprisings in a nonchalant matter as though they were items on a shopping list. Though Caldwell’s theories show a bit of paranoia, especially her introduction, it does make for fascinating reading and makes one wonder.
Unlike Joseph, the other members of the Committee of Foreign Relations aren’t near as defined or faceted but they aren’t supposed to be. They are neither good nor evil. They are more like living forces of nature that shape the world to fit their needs.
Joseph despite all of his money, and cynicism is at heart a naïve character and doesn’t truly realize how dangerous they can be until they turn on him and his son. That’s when he truly sees the darkness of these business acquaintances.
About the Author
Taylor Caldwell wrote her first novel Dynasty of Death in 1937. She wrote several other novels including Dear and Glorious Physician, and Great Lion of God. Captains and the Kings was first published in 1972 and was televised as a miniseries in 1976.
Captains and the Kings Cover
|
What do you think about this article?
More in Reading & Literature
Latest Articles