Arthur Koestler’s Darkness at Noon, originally published in December 1940 (Scammel 196), is the second novel of a trilogy which revolves around revolutionary and political ethics. With its complex plot and unusual form, unfamiliar to British readers, it “wasn’t exactly a psychological novel, nor an allegory, nor a satire.” (Scammel 129) It is a novel of ideas; an in-depth analysis of the psychological state of a character living in a dystopian nightmare.
It focuses on the character of Nicolas Salmanovitch Rubashov, an old Bolshevik revolutionary and a national hero, who is arrested and accused of crimes against the Party, which he has not committed. Imprisoned on the orders of No.1, an all-powerful authoritarian figure, the protagonist is …show more content…
The action of Koestler’s novel takes place in a Soviet prison where Rubashov awaits his trial and execution. The two investigators from the State Political Directorate (G.P.U.) demand not only the protagonist’s confession to the fabricated crimes, but also his willingness to take part in a public trial, which would constitute a great spectacle for the Russian masses; however, “an unexplained liquidation would have a demoralizing effect upon the people.” (Strauss n.pag.) A public trial of a national hero of the Russian Revolution, who has fallen from grace, would also mean an enormous success for the ruling party and No …show more content…
Steinhoff compares the protagonist’s thinking to concept of doublethink, introduced in George Orwell’s 1984, describing it as a schizophrenic logic that the Party used to control its members. (38) Orwell writes that “the whole book centers round one question: Why did Rubashov confess?” (n.pag.) While the protagonist is aware of the fact that he is innocent, he considers confessing to the alleged crimes, because the twisted logic of a hardened Communist tells him to do
It focuses on the character of Nicolas Salmanovitch Rubashov, an old Bolshevik revolutionary and a national hero, who is arrested and accused of crimes against the Party, which he has not committed. Imprisoned on the orders of No.1, an all-powerful authoritarian figure, the protagonist is …show more content…
The action of Koestler’s novel takes place in a Soviet prison where Rubashov awaits his trial and execution. The two investigators from the State Political Directorate (G.P.U.) demand not only the protagonist’s confession to the fabricated crimes, but also his willingness to take part in a public trial, which would constitute a great spectacle for the Russian masses; however, “an unexplained liquidation would have a demoralizing effect upon the people.” (Strauss n.pag.) A public trial of a national hero of the Russian Revolution, who has fallen from grace, would also mean an enormous success for the ruling party and No …show more content…
Steinhoff compares the protagonist’s thinking to concept of doublethink, introduced in George Orwell’s 1984, describing it as a schizophrenic logic that the Party used to control its members. (38) Orwell writes that “the whole book centers round one question: Why did Rubashov confess?” (n.pag.) While the protagonist is aware of the fact that he is innocent, he considers confessing to the alleged crimes, because the twisted logic of a hardened Communist tells him to do