Cass Mastern Character Analysis

In All The Kings Men, Jack, finds for his dissertation to get his PhD, he writes on his great uncle, Cass Mastern. Cass Mastern was a poor when he was born, but his brother, becoming rich from cotton plantations, came back and supported Cass financially. By the suggestion from Jefferson Davis, he went to Transylvania College in Lexington where through Jefferson, he becomes good friends with Duncan and Annabelle Trice. He fell "head over heels" for Annabelle and had an affair with her. Phebe, the Trice's slave, finds Duncan's wedding ring on his pillow right after he commits suicide which is a sign that he knew that his wife was having an affair. Annabelle, not being able to cope with Phebe knowing she was having an affair, sells Phebe to a
Through the first of the war, to his dismay, Cass goes unhurt even though he is not firing on any enemy men. His luck finely wears down and he is wounded by a shot and is transported to a hospital. There at the hospital he writes his last words and dies. Yet again, this is another spider web ripple affect of Cass' actions with Annabelle because if he had not had an affair, then he would have used a gun and been able to defend himself. Everyone around Cass, even Cass himself, are affected by this affair fling and Cass understands this. A person at the hospital keeps Cass' papers and ring and sends them to his brother Gilbert back at the plantation where they finely end up in Jacks' possession. The story then goes back to Jack as the narrator where he is thinking of Cass and how it could pertain to himself. Jack introduces the "Spider Web Theory" saying, "The world is like an enormous spider web and if you touch it, however lightly, at any point, the vibration ripples to the remotest perimeter and the drowsy spider feels the tingle and is drowsy no more but springs out to fling the gossamer coils about you who have touched the web and then inject the black, numbing poison under your