Charlie Martin in Real Life

In the first few chapters of The Natural the end of the main character, Charlie Martin’s, presidential campaign is revealed in classic Klein style. There is a girl working for Martin’s campaign who mistakenly thinks Martin, who is known somewhat for his promiscuity, is making a move on her. This scandal all but ends what is left of Martin’s primary campaign. This scene is dripping with irony because is this particular incidence Martin actually wasn’t trying to seduce the girl, but he had in many instances without being caught. This irony is an interesting literary technique of Klein’s and is particularly interesting to think about, because it can almost certainly be applied to real politician have been caught at something they didn’t do, but not caught at something they did.
Another interesting trait of Charlie Martin is that he is both a veteran and a Democrat, something stereotypically not seen very often. Klein himself is an adamant supporter of national service, and is disdainful of Democrat who are unknowledgeable about foreign policy and military affairs. In fact, Martin is politician who has never really existed in the real world. He come from a folksy, Midwestern background, was a war hero in Vietnam, and is a Democrat. If a politician with this kind of background did exist, I personally would think he would they would have a distinct advantage over most other politicians. Charlie Martin is, in some ways, the ideal candidate for me, for Joe Klein and perhaps for much of America.