# Editor Whedon explained — Spoon River Anthology

> Chapter companion for Spoon River Anthology by Edgar Lee Masters.

## What happens

The chapter presents a bitter, first-person confession from a deceased editor who admits to manipulating truth, exploiting human emotions for profit, and using his newspaper as a tool for revenge and power. He describes his life as a sneak-thief and his death as a disgrace, buried near the village sewage.

## Themes in this chapter

### Hypocrisy and Corruption

The editor confesses to perverting truth, using great feelings for base designs, and crushing reputations for money or revenge, embodying institutional hypocrisy.

### Death and Legacy

The editor's final resting place near the sewage dump symbolizes his degraded legacy and the moral filth of his life.

## Character check-ins

### Epilogue

The speaker is an unnamed editor, likely the 'Editor Whedon' of the title, who reflects on his corrupt career from beyond the grave.

## Key lines

> To be able to see every side of every question; To be on every side, to be everything, to be nothing long; To pervert truth, to ride it for a purpose

The editor boasts of his ability to adopt any viewpoint for his own ends, twisting truth to serve his agenda.

_Reveals the editor's cynical manipulation of objectivity._

> To glory in demoniac power, ditching civilization, As a paranoiac boy puts a log on the track And derails the express train.

He compares his destructive influence to a child deliberately causing a train wreck, taking pride in derailing society.

_Highlights the editor's self-awareness of his antisocial impact._

> Then to lie here close by the river over the place Where the sewage flows from the village, And the empty cans and garbage are dumped, And abortions are hidden.

In death, he is buried near the village dump and sewage outlet, a fitting end for a life of moral decay.

_Emphasizes the theme of death and legacy through physical location._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/spoon_river_anthology_se/chapters/editor-whedon
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/spoon_river_anthology_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/spoon_river_anthology_se/chapters