Gore Vidal and Washington, DC
In preparation of my move to the District, I picked up Gore Vidal’s novel Washington, DC. It’s the most subtle and complete description I’ve ever read of our nation’s capitol. I think it captures perfectly the odd dual nature of the city, part southerners who live there permanently and part itinerant politicians floating in from (what DC views as) the hinterlands.
Despite the numerous entertaining romances and scandals that fill its pages, the book is fundamentally a meditation on the nature of power, both political and economic. The most significant conversation comes when a young, naïve, yet power-hungry senator’s aide talks to an old, wealthy newspaper publisher. The older man Blaise says bluntly “What matters is I have power and you want it,” to which the young Clay replies “Not your sort, no.” Blaise’s final retort sets the tone for the rest of the book: “All sorts are the same, as you’ll discover.”
Every character in the book has some good traits, and honestly believes they are doing good for society in Washington- the author is even optimistic enough to acknowledge that some of the characters really have done some good during their careers. Yet at the same time every character makes ethical compromises to get more power, always with the rationalization that when that power arrives they will start doing good again. For most of the men in the novel, tragically the end of their career arrives before they get around to actually doing good.
Despite the utter pessimism of this worldview, the author gives us a somewhat happy ending. For at least one character love of another human being becomes a way to forget the meaningless of the struggle of power. The love of fighting for or against a simple truth is worth the effort, if only because it makes your political life seem meaningful. It is an enigmatic ending of existential happiness, and one that I keep rereading hoping to understand it better.
