George Packer takes a negative, if at times somewhat piteous, view of newt Gingrich in his portrait of him. Gingrich is initially characterized rather positively; he comes from a broken family, has negative relationships with his parents and step-parent, but continues onwards despite life’s hardships for the future finds solace in reading. At one point Gingrich is a described as “the boy who would seem like a nine-year old at seemed fifty years old at nine”. From that point on the tone of the piece becomes significantly harsher. During Gingrich’s later years he is illustrated as spiteful and angry, more focused on tearing down what he disagrees with rather than creating something better. Packer’s chronological structure allows him to analyze