A Far Country

In Short

This novel is a searing examination of the American obsession with power and the ethical compromises required to attain it. Through the life of Hugh Paret, a rising attorney in a nameless state capital, the story charts the transition from traditional, inherited values to the ruthless, corporate-driven opportunism of the early twentieth century. It remains essential for its unflinching look at how the machinery of law and business often serves to entrench corruption, creating a world where personal integrity is sacrificed for the illusion of control and high-society standing.

The Story

Hugh Paret begins his career as a young, ambitious lawyer in a mid-sized American city, quickly learning that the law is less about justice and more about the "amenities" of business. He enters the orbit of Theodore Watling, a powerful attorney who functions as a gatekeeper for political and economic interests. Paret’s education is rapid: he discovers that the state legislature is a bazaar where influence is sold, and he learns to admire the "generalissimo" of the railroad interests, Colonel Varney, for his ability to control outcomes through bribery and strategic favors.

Paret’s personal life is similarly marked by cold calculation. He once held a romantic interest in Nancy Willett, a woman of social standing, but when she marries the wealthy, scandal-prone Ham Durrett, Paret accepts the reality of his station. He marries Maude, a woman he views as someone to be "moulded" into the perfect wife, despite realizing early on that their union lacks the passion of true connection. His family life with Maude and their children becomes a peripheral concern; he finds himself physically and emotionally detached from them, viewing his children as objects to be managed rather than souls to be nurtured.

Throughout his rise, Paret is haunted by the presence of Hermann Krebs, an idealistic lawyer who remains tethered to his conscience. Krebs represents everything Paret has abandoned: a belief in public service, a refusal to be bought, and an empathy for the common worker. While Paret facilitates the sale of city franchises to corrupt boards and navigates the complex, often illegal, world of corporate expansion, Krebs fights for the injured and the exploited in the courtroom. Paret consistently views Krebs with a mixture of resentment and guilty fascination, hating him for his integrity while secretly wishing he could mirror it.

The climax of Paret’s career arrives when he participates in the "Riverside Franchise" deal, a textbook example of buying public assets from corrupt politicians and selling them back to the public at an enormous profit. Despite the warnings of his friend Perry Blackwood, who begs him to stop before his soul is irrevocably tainted, Paret persists, justifying his actions as the "natural" law of modern business. By the end, Paret has achieved the power and status he craved, but the story makes it clear that this success is a hollow victory. He remains a man of influence in a world where the "happy hunting-grounds" belong only to those who have mastered the art of indifference, leaving him isolated within a life of luxury, separated from the people he loves and the principles he once claimed to respect.

How It Unfolds

The lobby of influence Paret arrives at the state capital and is initiated into the world of political deal-making by Colonel Varney. He quickly recognizes that the "gentlemen" who make the laws are merely cogs in an economic machine directed by corporate interests.

The realization of power After a night of professional maneuvering, Paret reflects on his success and concludes that democracy is essentially a failure. He adopts the belief that the world belongs to the strong and that power is the only true form of self-expression.

The thorn in the side Paret encounters Hermann Krebs, a man whose commitment to ethics serves as a constant, unwelcome mirror to his own moral decay. As Krebs stands in the legislature to protest corrupt bills, Paret feels both a burning shame and a strange, grudging respect.

The domestic shell Paret marries Maude and attempts to mold her into a social asset, even as he finds himself unable to fully love his own children. He views his family through a lens of detachment, keeping his home life subservient to his professional ambitions.

The franchise of greed Paret orchestrates a major deal involving the Maplewood Avenue franchise, effectively bribing officials to enrich himself and his associates. He ignores the pleas of his friends to quit, choosing instead to view his corruption as inevitable progress.

The final tally The story concludes with Paret having fully embraced his role as an agent of the system. He looks back at his life, realizing that while he has attained the peak of society, he has lost the ability to truly connect with the world around him.

The People

Hugh Paret is the protagonist, a man of sharp intellect and hardening ambition. He wants power, and he views the law as the primary instrument for obtaining it. By the end, he has gained the worldly success he sought but has lost his capacity for genuine human affection.

Hermann Krebs serves as the moral foil. He is an attorney who refuses to be bought, standing for the rights of the common person against the railroad and corporate interests. Unlike Paret, he remains true to his conscience, which makes his presence a source of constant discomfort for Paret.

Nancy Durrett is a woman of high social standing who marries into wealth. She is shrewd and pragmatic, serving as a contrast to Paret’s wife, Maude. She represents the "modern" woman who understands the social rules and exploits them to maintain her own autonomy.

Maude Paret is Hugh’s wife. She is initially docile and domestic, but she possesses an independence that Hugh struggles to control. She remains a mystery to her husband, who tries to reshape her to fit his social requirements rather than accepting her as she is.

Theodore Watling is Paret’s mentor, a successful lawyer who embodies the shift toward corporate-controlled politics. He is a pragmatic, influential figure who teaches Paret how to navigate the "amenities" of business without ever appearing vulgar.

In Its Own Voice

"It was not money we coveted, we Americans, but power, the self-expression conferred by power."

Paret contemplates his own philosophy of life while walking through the capital on a winter morning.

"I had chosen. I had succeeded. And now that I had my finger at last on the nerve of power, it was no time to weaken."

Paret struggles to justify his early professional compromises after a late-night session of political deal-making.

"The practice of law isn't what it was in his day, Hugh."

Theodore Watling acknowledges to Paret that the legal profession has fundamentally changed from the honorable tradition it once represented.

What It's Really About

At its core, the book is a critique of the "natural" laws of economics and the moral bankruptcy of the Gilded Age. It asks whether a society can remain democratic when its political structures are entirely subservient to economic power. The central question is whether a man can participate in a corrupt system without eventually becoming the corruption he facilitates. Through Paret’s internal monologue, it explores the psychological cost of compartmentalization—the ability to be a "fighter" in the boardroom while remaining a hollow, indifferent figure at the dinner table. It argues that modern success, defined by the accumulation of influence and wealth, is inherently dehumanizing, stripping away the capacity for true community and moral clarity.

Why Read It Today

Readers who enjoy character-driven dramas that dissect the anatomy of social climbers will find this a fascinating, if sometimes chilly, experience. It is a book about the "how" of success, written with an analytical precision that feels surprisingly modern despite its early twentieth-century origins.

The prose is elegant and dense, rewarding the patient reader who enjoys psychological realism over fast-paced action. However, prospective readers should be aware that the narrative is quite long and deeply rooted in the specific political and social hierarchies of its time. The attitudes toward women, class, and the role of the "modern wife" reflect the period’s limitations, and the protagonist’s coldness can make him a difficult figure to follow over hundreds of pages. There is no easy redemption here; Paret is not a villain who repents, but a man who slowly and steadily chooses the path of least resistance.

What lingers is not the plot, but the haunting sense of a man who looks in the mirror and realizes he has successfully engineered his own isolation. It remains a powerful testament to the idea that, in the pursuit of the world, it is all too easy to lose the self.