Darkness at Noon by Arthur Koestler Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Darkness at Noon
Book Review: "What a mess we have made of our golden age"
Summary: 5 Stars
Along with "Uncle Tom's Cabin" and "Nineteen Eighty-Four", this novel is held up by some as one of the most important literary works in galvanizing public opinion against a social or political system. But whereas there is little doubt as to the intent of the first two novels, I think that Koestler's work cannot be so easily pigeon holed. When Koestler wrote this novel he had not yet reached that stage in his life when he was stridently anti-communist (some would argue anti-everything) and still held the architects of the Russian Revolution in high esteem. It is one of those books that can preach differing and conflicting sermons. Thus readers from the political right see the novel as an indictment against what they see as the inherent dehumanizing and brutalizing aspects of the communist system; while readers from the left see the novel as an indictment against the abrogation of freedoms and the abuse of political power by any political system, be it communism, fascism, or Bushocracy. In other words, any political system that appends a system of logic to a diaphanously perceived righeousness. Unfortunately for both sets of readers, the literary value of the book is usually overlooked in favor of a particular political viewpoint. The novel is set during the Moscow Trials of the 1930s in which Stalin systematically eliminated all opposition to his power. That this liquidation ended the lives of most of the remaining Bolsheviks of the 1917 Revolution is one of the great political ironies of history. The main character of the novel, Rubashov, represents one of the old guard, a party member whose intellectualizing of political history has no place in the new Soviet world of collectivism and one man rule. From the time the cell door slams behind Rubashov until the "smashing blow" ends his life, the action of the novel centers around Rubashov's internal fight between his loyalty to the ideals of 1917 and the encroachment of the "grammatical fiction" which forces him to consider things more subjectively. One would hardly think that this conflict could possibly be turned into a novel that could hold the reader's attention. But this is exactly what Koestler has done. The novel maintains a sense of tension throughout, and gives the reader a sample of some of the realities that constitute political imprisonment. There are unforgettable characters and scenes in the book: Rubashov's old friend, Ivanov, who now tries to get Rubashov to make public "his former errors"; the cool and ruthless Gletkin, and Rubashov's faceless and nameless neighbor with whom he carries on conversations by tapping out messages. While suffering through his imprisonment and the psychological torture that is inflicted on him, Rubashov has ample time to rethink his own poltical career, back to a time when he was able to inflict his own brand of logical expediency on both his friends and the innocent.
Some readers without the requisite knowledge of Russian history might be confused by some of the extended conversations in the book that deal with the Revolution and other arcane issues of poltical theory that take place between Rubashov and his interrogators. But confusion can be remedied by some outside reading, and a little perseverance on the reader's part will be rewarded with an unforgettable journey into one man's mind as he does battle with history, with totalitarian henchmen and,more importantly, with himself.
Book Review: 'Dazzer's review of Darkness at Noon'
Summary: 5 Stars
'Darkness at Noon' not only stands as one of the most incisive political novels of its time, it is also peerless in its bleak portrayal of incarceration. Rawly compelling from the outset, the novel is set in the oppressive Soviet Union of the 1930's. Its hero is the reactionary Rubashov, imprisoned by his own party for crimes he has not committed yet forced, through rigorously severe interrogation, to confess and thus face certain execution. The despair inherent in Rubashov's position, and the gradual abrasion of his own moral and intellectual authority, make this a direct primogenitor to George Orwell's 1984. Koestler (beautifully translated by Daphne Hardy) exposes the cruel hypocrisy of a totalitarian regime which masquerades as a liberal, forward thinking movement. The party's views are expressed unequivocally by the prison interrogator, Gletkin, in the phrase 'truth is what is useful to humanity, falsehood what is harmful.' This statement, along with scores of others, conveys the suppression of free will at the core of Stalinist communism, and remains salient even when viewed in a modern political context. 'Darkness' examines the dilemma of a man who helped to establish his party yet can no longer condone its actions, and who as a consequence is ignominiously rejected by it. Rubashov's bravery in the face of oppression is heroic, yet his earlier treatment of secretary Arlova and his muddy consciousness towards this prevents him from appearing remotely altruistic: Rubashov is selfish and driven, although his aloof flippancy is grimly endearing. Like the Party, he will employ whatever means necessary to achieve his goal, human beings are a mere pawn in the game, ready to be sacrificed if to do so gains a strategic advantage. Koestler's portrayal of the hierarchical nature of oppressive rule, and the indurate self-interest it creates, is chillingly lucid. As Rubashov discards Arlova and young Richard, so the subordinate Gletkin, it is inferred, betrays Ivanov, shot for being 'a cynic', while both interrogators are ultimately controlled by the feared No.1. Implied throughout is the sense of degradation from an intellectual ideal; Gletkin is a 'Neanderthal', a 'barbaric relapse of history', and yet supersedes the thoughtful, intelligent Ivanov. Rubashov's interrogation by Gletkin is a farrago: both parties know there will only be one outcome, Rubashov, for pride's sake, denying endless charges until impelled by Gletkin's warped logic and the very human desire for sleep to acquiesce, exposing the fatuity of a dictatorial system averse to natural justice. The novel's muted end, the 'shrug of eternity' as Rubashov is killed, suggests serene release from a grimly arduous existence, an ambivalently Lethean suggestion of happiness to end this claustrophobically taut, intellectually and emotionally enthralling novel.Book Review: A Chilling Tale of Morality
Summary: 4 Stars
A well-written book which chronicle the last days of an aging revolutionary, Rubashov. The whole novel was set around a prison in which Rubashov was being detained. His crime - the most heinous possible - the betrayal of the revolution. It is obvious, that he was falsely accused (intimations of the history of the Soviet Union under Stalin). In this place, Rubashov began to reminiscene about his past, the betrayals of individuals for the higher cause of the Revolution and the party. In between, we witness his interrogation, first under Ivanov and then under Gletkin. Throughout the interrogation, Rubashov was reminded of the logic of the revolution where the ends justify the means and truth is whatever that is useful at the moment. And in his own particular case, he must be sacrificed for the good of the party and the Revolution. Using the presuasion of this logic, first under the more urbane Ivanov and latter under the more brutal Gletkin, Rubashov who has been wavering in his faith of the party was convinced and hence was "sacrificed" in a kangaroo court.
This book examines the totalitarian regime of Stalin with its philosophy of convenience and its consequences. At a more personal level, I found this book a chilling tale of morality when such a philosophy of conveniece is adopted and our humanity is thrown away in the consideration of politics. It is a must-read book to understand the dangers of totalitarian regimes be they of the right or left.
Book Review: A Grim Tale about Communism That Borders on Reality
Summary: 5 Stars
Soviet Communism was indeed the focus of evil. All collectivist schemes are rooted in idealism and utopian dreams - founded on a faith in human nature that has never existed - i.e. collective man oblivious and apathetic to his own self-interest. Darkness at Noon portrays one of the adherents to that faith - a man who gave his heart and soul to the "cause" of progress. The "cause" returned the favor by imprisoning, torturing, and executing him for being insufficiently revolutionary. While this book is a fictional account, it is not hard to imagine this type of event playing out in reality. Communism has murdered over 125 million people since Marx inspired the demon ideology. This has included the starvation of peasants, exiling "apostates," torturing and murdering dissenters, and condemning "insufficient revolutionaries" to Gulags, where they will starve or work unto death. All of this was done in the name of good intentions - for collective man and a promised utopia. It is the legacy of an ideology manifestly evil and hostile to God and man.Book Review: A Powerful Picture
Summary: 5 Stars
Koestler vividly describes the paranoid atmosphere of Stalin's Russia - the physical and psychological torture and the many imprisoned or executed on trumped-up charges. Beyond this, Koestler powerfully portrays the emptiness of a life dedicated to pursuing Communist utopia within a secular worldview in which any means are justified to pursue these utopian dreams.
Koestler also contrast a government based on the ideal of the value of each individual, rooted in Christianity, versus a secular government able to justify treating individuals as expendable, especially in this passage: "There are only two conceptions of human ethics and they are at opposite poles. One of them is Christian and humane, declares the individual to be sacrosanct, and asserts that the rules of arithmetic are not to be applied to human units. The other starts from the basic principle that a collective aim justifies all means, and not only allows, but demands, that the individual should in every way be subordinated to the community -- which may dispose of it as an experimentation rabbit or a sacrificial lamb."