King in Khaki, A

Primary Creator
Author Henry Kitchell Webster
Contributor(s)
Properties
Era1900 - 1950
Pages320 pages
StyleRomanticist
Name of WorkKing in Khaki, A
Production Date1909
Production Location


Current Location


General Notes

Description

The story of an investment to develop an island -- the initial failure, the eventual success, and the attempt to hide that success so as to defraud the investors in that island. The story of the man who made the success, and his struggles with villain investors who want to hide the success in order to take the value that other investors were due. Intertwined is the story of a young woman of impeccable honesty, who becomes a bridge between the hero entrepreneur, and the main villain. A love story ensues as well. The outcome of the large struggle between the hero and villain revolves upon a piece of psychological jujitsu that the hero performs that emphasizes the importance of morality in life.

Theme

Business acumen produces both material wealth and moral right.

The success of the entrepreneur in this story, along with his relation to all his staff and secondary and tertiary folks on the island who work for him -- makes him into a "king" based on important human relations and the rightness of his decisions that result in a successful business enterprise.

A subsidiary theme might be termed the power of morality over physical power or economic "power".

Emotional Sum or Sense-of-life

Honesty is a noble and practical way of life.