In the Heart of a Fool was published by Macmillan in 1918. White’s second novel is more ambitious and more uneven than his first: it attempts to dramatize the entire conflict between labor and capital in an industrializing Kansas town, with multiple plotlines following characters on both sides of the class divide.
The “fool” of the title is Grant Adams, an idealistic labor leader who believes in the possibility of reconciling workers and owners through moral persuasion and Christian charity. His antagonist is Thomas Van Dorn, a predatory capitalist who exploits both workers and the community. White’s sympathies are clearly with Adams, but the novel’s honesty lies in its recognition that idealism is indeed foolishness in the face of economic power — Adams fails, is broken, and achieves only a posthumous moral victory.
The novel reflects White’s position as a progressive Republican uncomfortable with both socialism and unrestricted capitalism. He wants reform, not revolution; moral improvement, not class war. This middle position — characteristic of White throughout his career — makes the novel less dramatically forceful than a more committed work might be, but also more honest about the difficulties of achieving social justice within existing institutions.
Collecting In the Heart of a Fool
First edition (Macmillan, New York, 1918): Cloth.
Market values:
- First edition, fine: $30–$75
- Very good: $10–$30