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Title: Darkness at Noon

Author: Arthur Koestler

Synopsis:
A man named Rubashov is in prison. He has served the Revolution in Russia all his life and now has been locked up for supporting the opposition. Throughout his stay in prison, he recalls past experiences and actions. Ivanov and Gletkin are the men in charge of making Rubashov confess to his crimes. they use drastic measures to force him to do this. Throughout these experiences, Rubashov contemplates how he should act. In the end, he decides to confess and accept the consequences. The consequence is death and that is how the novel ends.

Themes:
One theme of the novel is that to do what you feel is right is not always going to be the most popular choice. If you choose to follow your feelings, then many other people may also feel that you are wrong. You must learn to follow your heart and not let other people make choices for you. Rubashov did not follow his true feelings. He gave in to the demands of the Party. In the end, even this could not save him.
Another theme from the novel is that you should be careful what you do because it may haunt you later on. While in prison, Rubashov is constantly haunted by some of the things that he had done. He remembers many of the people that he wronged and this haunts him until he dies. He can never forget how he sent Arlova, Richard, and Little Loewy to their deaths.

Point of View: Third Person Limited

Characters/types:
Rubashov is the obvious protagonist of the novel. The story revolves around him and his experiences in prison. Gletkin fulfills the role of the antagonist in the novel. He is the force opposing Rubashov in prison. He wants Rubashov to confess and will stop at nothing to make him do it. There are also many secondary characters such as: Ivanov, No. 402, Arlova, Hare-lip, and No. 1. These characters help to move the story along during the lapses between Rubashov’s thoughts.

Figurative Language/literary devices: note extensive or unique uses as well as describing the overall effect.
There are many instances of figurative language in the novel. The author uses direct characterization to describe the prison and its features. He uses indirect characterization to describe many of the people in the prison. Many inanimate objects are given human qualities and several exaggerations are used. Another literary device that is used throughout is the flashback. Rubashov remembers many of his past actions and the people that they influenced. Finally, the author uses allusions throughout the novel.

Literary Analysis for Darkness at Noon

1. Which element was the most important to the development of the novel? Explain why.
The element that was most important to the development of the novel was Rubashov’s mind. This novel revolves around the musings of Rubashov’s brain. Without these important thoughts, the novel would be empty. They move the story along as well as provide the reasoning behind Rubashov’s actions.

2. Identify the elements of plot below. Justify your answer.

A. initial incident
The initial incident of the novel is Rubashov’s forty years of service of his party and his arrest for being a “counter-revolutionary.” His arrest provides the prison setting and the basis for the long cross-examinations. Rubashov’s forty years of service shows the reader the how deep his relationship with the party is and justifies his final decision.

B. climax
The climax of the novel occurs when Rubashov finally gives in to the last of the points of his confession. He finally defeated and now awaits his coming execution. He just wants to sleep and not worry about anything. Gletkin has won and Rubashov has accepted his defeat.

3. Give an example of conflict. Identify the type of conflict and how it is / why it is not resolved.
An example of conflict from the novel is when Rubashov can not decide whether or not to capitulate. He can either follow his own will or the will of his party. He can continue to serve his party without question or he can what he feels is right. This is an example of internal conflict and it is resolved when Rubashov finally decides to serve his party.

4. Give an example of irony from the novel. Identify the type and explain how or why it is ironic.
It is ironic how often Rubashov changes his mind in the story. In the beginning he is sure that he will not capitulate and will die in silence. Then, he decides that he should that he will give in because he wants to serve his party. Rubashov almost decides to his mind on many important decisions. It seems as if he can never truly decide until the very end when time is pressing.

5. Identify a flashback from the novel and explain the effect of the use of this device.
A flashback from the novel occurs when Rubashov remember his time with Arlova. He remembers how he treated her in the office and at home/ He also remembers how he betrayed her at her trial and how this led to her eventual execution. This device is used to show just how far Rubashov will go to serve his party.

6. Give an example of foreshadowing from the novel. Explain the effect of the use of this device.
An example of fo0reshadowing occurs while Ivanov is visiting Rubashov in his cell. He tells Rubashov that “their positions might just as well have been the other way round” (89). This statement foreshadows the fact that Ivanov will also be arrested and executed for his actions.

7. From what point of view is the story told? What effect does this point of view have on the reader?
The novel is written in third person limited. the reader knows all of the thoughts and feelings of Rubashov, but none of the thoughts of the characters. their ideas and opinions are expressed through dialogue. This point of view gives the reader many key details, but it also makes them pay attention to the dialogue.

8. Describe the setting of the novel.
The novel takes place in a prison in Russia. It takes place soon after the Russian Revolution and before the outbreak of World War II, probably in the 1930s. This is a time when the Russian government, led by Joseph Stalin, was exterminating all opposition. Rubashov, the protagonist, is caught up in this and is executed.

9. Identify two major characters from the novel. For each character: A. Identify the type. B. Give three quotes, with page numbers, which illustrates the character.

Character one: Rubashov

A. Protagonist

B. “So I shall be shot, thought Rubashov.” p. 9
“He was frozen, and he longed for a cigarette.” p. 48
“Rubashov, was too old and worn-out to act as consequentially as the Party traditions
required.” p. 117

Character two: Gletkin

A. Antagonist

B. “Gletkin’s method was that he never had himself relieved, and exacted as much from
himself as from Rubashov.” p. 171
“Gletkin shrugged his shoulders, shoved his collar and crackling cuffs into place, and
went on with his work on the pile of documents.” p. 133
“Gletkin became a shade more tractable--Gletkin paid cash.” p. 178

10. Give a one sentence statement of theme for the novel.
What is popular is not always right, and what is right is not always popular.

11. Identify one symbol from the novel and explain the symbolism.
One symbol from the novel is the picture with the numbered men in it. This picture represents the old intelligentsia to which Rubashov belongs. This picture has been taken down and destroyed throughout Russia, just as its members have been exterminated. The Party does not see these men as necessary anymore and gets rid of them before they can cause any more problems.

12. Identify one allusion from the novel and explain the allusion.
Throughout the novel, the author alludes to No. 1 and the Party, but these things are never truly explained. The reader is left to figure out who and what the author is talking about, The reader must know some history at least to figure out and to understand these many allusions in the novel.

13. Identify six different types of figurative language or literary devices used in the novel. For each type: A. Identify type. B. Give a quote with page number. C. Explain the effect.

1. A. Personification
B. “unpleasantly bright lighting, which stabbed his eyes.” p. 147
C. In this quotation, the author gives the light human qualities. He does this because he wants the reader to realize just how bright the light is and to make the reader sympathize with Rubashov.

2. A. Hyperbole
B. “He was a man who had lost his shadow, released from every bond.” p. 205
C. The author uses this hyperbole to show how Rubashov had been released from all of his worries. He knew what was about to come and he did not fear it any longer. It can not be taken literally that he had lost his shadow; this was only used for emphasis.

3. A. Simile
B. “one’s personality dissolved as a grain of salt in the sea.” p. 206
C. In this quotation, the author compares how one man and his ideas and opinions are like a grain of salt in the ocean. This one man is dissolved in society. By himself he is no longer important, but only as a part of the whole.

4. A. Direct Characterization
B. “The infirmary was small and the air stuffy.” p. 62
C. The author uses direct characterization to tell the reader about the conditions inside the prison. At this point, he describes the place where Rubashov is sent to treat his toothache. This is used to help the reader understand the happenings of the prison.

5. A. Flashback
B. “Outside, someone was knocking on the front door, he dreamed that they were coming to arrest him; but in what country was he?” p. 215
C. This line occurs at the very end of the novel. It flashes back to when Rubashov was arrested for the first time and he was very confused. This line is used by the author to show just how confused and helpless Rubashov was during and before his execution.

6. A. Allusion
B. “Rubashov laughed, and called my father an old fool and a Don Quixote.” p. 164
C. In this quotation, the author alludes to Don Quixote, a character in a novel by Miguel de Cervantes. This character is known by many to be an idiot and the author draws on this common knowledge. If the reader knows about Don Quixote, then the line makes sense, but if he does not then he is left hanging.