Introduction
Inasmuch as a single author produces several publications, he/she must feature a significant relationship between or among the publications, regardless of their title differences. John le Carre provides the best illustration of this claim through his three captivating chef-d’oeuvres The Spy who came in from the Cold, The Russia House, and The Little Drummer Girl. The books borrow from each other on various issues and plots. For instance, the novel, The Spy Who Came in from the Cold is a cold war spy novel addressing the behavior of the British protagonists. These protagonists acted contrary to the expected western values (Serem Para. 3). This story is about the turn of events during the Cold War between the 1950s and 1960s when there were heightened political-military tensions. The novel has its setting in Eastern Germany just after the Berlin wall was constructed. The Little Drummer Girl to is among the novels written by John le Carre.
This masterwork of John le Carre is about the Israeli spymaster Kurtz Martin who is doing all he can to kill Khalil, the Palestinian terrorist attributed to the bombing of the Jewish-related targets in Europe and more specifically in Germany. He recruits an English actor Charlie who eventually becomes “…a double agent who then works on behalf of the Israel” (Bismack Para.3). This recruitment eventually coincides with another event when she falls in love with Joseph, the strange man. The author builds on the story until Khalil’s death, whereby Israel uses the opportunity by Joseph pretending to be the late Salami. They travel to Palestine to confuse Khalil in order to hasten he was about which they eventfully manage to succeed. Further, The Russia House account to compares with the previous novels. The fascinating masterpiece unveils the account of the British intelligence services that dealt in spying on the Soviet Union. The story is about Bartholomew (Barley) an owner of a British publishing company who meets with his business counterparts who welcomes him to a drunken retreat. While on the retreat, Bartholomew talks about the need for patriotism and courage, “…he further talks of a new world order and an end to tensions of cold war” (Bridget Para. 2). A few months later, a Russian woman called Katya tries to locate Barley at the sales fair but fails to meet him but leaves her manuscript to Niki, another publishing company representative to pass it over to Barley but instead takes it to the British government authorities. The game of spy then begins from this step. The book features some intrigues of love like Barley’s case with Katya after knowing each other in details. The relationship grows and becomes strong becoming difficult following the hostage of Katya family and in addition her life is threatened, which forces Barley to “…trade off the shipping list to the Russian” (Hinson Para. 4). This offends the British and the Americans, which Barley feel as being unfair after his arrest. After the release of Katya and her family, they then decide to move to Lisbon to his home and settle with Katya family. Therefore, these three novels have some level of similarity in the way the author brings out the aspect of love and how the characters experience separation through death.
How the Lovers in the Books Fall Apart by Death
In The Spy Who Came in from Cold, Liz falls in love with Leamas and after Liz is suspicious, the two decides to escape from Western to Eastern Germany. It is during this escape that the two succumbs to their death. Death meets the two when Leamas has climbed the Berlin wall and reached the top, he assists his lover Liz to climb to the top, but unfortunately, Liz’s shooting causes her instant death. Because of this incident, Leamas decides immediately to return to the eastern side of the wall after a call by a western agent. Unfortunately, Leamas also meets his death instantly through a shot bullet. He dies immediately. Therefore, in this novel, the author John le Carre has candidly developed this plot and illustrated how these two characters meet with their death. Their love ends on a very bad note by all of them having to die at the same time. In the book, The Little Drummer Girl, the author has also brought out the theme of love. Here the love is between the Israeli actors Charlie with Joseph. After the training as the bomber, Charlie develops a schizophrenic and some complexion and finally dies after the death of Khalil by Israel. This, therefore, marks the end of the life and love between her and his lover Joseph. On the other hand, in the novel The Russian House the case of love, the author has also brought the theme of love where Barley falls in love with Katya. This relationship is born after some time after the two meet each other afterward they fall in love.
In the three books, the author John le Carre has incorporated love in his stories to aid him in the compilation of these novels. Love stands out in these three novels in various circumstances, but many of the illustrations have been in the facilitation of the spy’s mission. Death has been also used in the novels whereby the love born ends at some points during their mission. For instance, in the novel The Spy who came in from Cold, the lovers Leamas and Liz meet their death when escaping from the western wall of Berlin to the Eastern. The enemies’ spies when climbing the Berlin wall shoot Liz. She died instantly. Afterward, his lover counterpart Leamas is also short and dies immediately. Both of them die. In the novel The Little Drummer Girl, we also find a love story whereby an English actor Charlie dies afterward from some complications after his mission. Charlie fall in love with Joseph and went to the Philippines whereby Joseph pretended to be Salami, she is used by the Israeli spies team who wanted to kill Khalil who they claimed was the cause of terrorist attacks in Germany; especially he was interested in in the Jews. Therefore, Charlie’s love turns into his death after being taken to the Palestine refugee and undergoing training as a bomb. Although the training was no what happened, he persisted and undertook the training in order for her to achieve her mission in which she was send. He afterward succeeds in tracking down Khalil and eventually the Israel kill him. Although he achieves his mission in spying, unfortunately, he also eventually succumbed to death because of some complications and his own contradictions. Therefore, what began as a love leads her eventually to her death.
On the other hand, the author has also used love in the novel The Russia House to talk about love. For instance in this novel, the author has brought out these theme but not stronger as the other two novels. In this book, we find out the Barley after meeting with Katya begins to know each other and eventual their relationships develops into a love affair (Howe Para. 5). This love begins because of a book, written by Dante who wanted it published. This relationship goes on and it faces some challenges, whereby Katya, Barley’s lover is send a message by Barley of a threat of being killed. In this novel, although the threat of the lovers to be killed is issued, Barley manages to rescue it when he opts to trade off the shipping list to the Russians, which eventually makes the family of Katya and herself to be released.. After the release, Barley opts to return to his home in Lebanon. Therefore, in this book, the lovers escape death narrowly and therefore they did not have to die. The story therefore elapses before the killings of the lovers. Therefore, in these three stories there is close relationships that the author has used when it comes to the love theme, the turn of events in all the three novels seem morally the same with the characters that, fall in love ending their careers and their life through death. It is only in the novel of The Russia House that the lovers escape death narrowly. Therefore, it is evident that the author has employed similar thoughts and has been able to compile his stories on more or the less same line of thought. This relationship too stands out through the author deals with deceit.
Deceit
In The Spy who came in from the Cold deceit is rife and well brought out by the author. For instance, the first episode where the author brings out the theme of deceit is the recalling of Leamas back to the circus (The West Berlin office of the British secret intelligence service). He is told to provide false information to the East Germany communist so that to implicate Mundt as being a double agent of British, a situation that would lead to him being executed by his own people. Further more, deceit stands out when Leamas is sacked by the Circus to blindfold the East Germans into believing that he was ripe for the defection. Deceit too is clear at the trial after the arrest of Leamas and Felder. The blame game starts where by they begin to pinpoint or rather reveal each other secrets. These secrets provide evidence of the practice of deceit. For instance, Mundt operates as a double British agent whereby he knew what was going on. In addition, there is certain information send by Karl to Leamas which Fielder has no access to unlike Mundt. Further more, deceit comes out when Liz a love of Leamas after George Smiley promised her not to reveal where he had gone after being leased an apartment. It is also revealed that (Leamas) that he was given the permission by Control to frame Mundt.
Deceit is also exhibited in this book The Little Drummer Girl when Salami who is an agent of Khalil is abducted, and interrogated and thereafter is killed by the Martins unit, Joseph tries to impersonate him and travels to Europe in company of Charlie in order to deceit Khalil that Salami and Charlie are in love. This trap targets Khalil, the impersonification, whose implication is that upon Khalil’s discovery that Salamis is lovable, will aid Charlie and the Israel in tracking Khalil down and arresting him. Deceit stands out when Israel asks Charlie moderate to pretend that she has placed a bomb at the lecture. This action leads to the killing of the Khalil by the Israel hence marking the end of Charlie’s mission. In addition, it is also a deceit by the British and Americans that, they did know about the shopping list, which becomes false. This follows from Ned’s affirmation to Barley that the Soviet Union knew about the all operation and that they will only leave it to run because they wanted to access the shopping list and carrying out their own investigation about the books. The names of Dante are no more than a deception. He uses this name but his actual name is Yakov. Use of this name is confusing and tends to hind his identity. He was a scientist who had written a book about the state of Soviet Union nuclear missile capabilities. Therefore, his false use of name avoids his identity to the British and Americans. When Katya meets with Barley, he denies his being a spy despite his training as a spy. Therefore, the author has brought out the idea of deceit in this novel.
All the three novels depict deceit as one of the major themes. This holds true since the three novels are about spies, showing how they carry out their missions. The reader understands that for a plan to succeed the participants in spy employs various methods to ensure the fulfillment of their missions. Therefore, many deals require a lot of deceit. For instance, in case of The Russian House, the author has used deceit for example in the use of the name of Dante. He uses Dante as opposed to his real name Yakov in order to make it difficult to be identified (Ebert Para. 2). In the novel The Little Drummer Girl, deceit prevails. For instance, the author has used deceit whereby, Charlie an English actor lays trap for the Khalil. Salami, an assailant of the Khalil, is killed and Joseph is impersonated to be Salami and goes with Charlie in order to blindfold Khalil or rather deceive him that he is Salami. This is meant to make Khalil contact Charlie to make the Israel lay traps for the Khalil. The mission is achieved whereby at last Khalil who was a target is tracked down ad later is killed.
In addition, in the novel The Spy who came in from Cold has a wide incidence of deceit. The author has used deceit at a larger extent. In this novel, many spies employed deceit in their dealing, aimed at trapping their enemies. For instance, after the capture, Fielder and leases begin to wash their dirty linen in the public by revealing the secrets that they held. For instance, Fielders revealed that there was exchange of information between Leamas and Kurts with Mundt without his knowledge. On the other hand, Leamas claims that Fielder had a secret company account which they transferred money to the Mundt account. Another incidence, the author uses deceit in the novel The Spy Who Come in from the Cold, is where Leamas is recalled to the Circus as a strategy to blindfold the East Germany Communists by providing false information that Mundt was a double agent. The reason behind is to ensure that Mundt is executed by his sown people for acting as a traitor instead of coming to their aid by doing his job in protecting their interest. More so, another deceit stands during Leamas’ sacking by the Circus to make the enemies think that he was ready for the defection. A good example of such incidence of how deceit shows up is in the trial of Leamas and Fielder when they began blaming each other in the novel The Spy who came in from the Cold. In the novel, The Little Drummer Girl, deceit is also evidence when Joseph pretends to be Salami, one killed by the Israel (Briley 3). Joseph deceives Khalil, the Palestine terrorist to have close ties with the lover of Joseph an English actor Charlie to facilitate the Israel with links to track him quickly. These deceits eventually succeed when the actor is used in aiding the killing of Khalil by the Israel who used Charlie as their spy.
On the other hand, the novel The Russian House has also forms of deceit in the way the character uses his names. For instance, Dante uses this name as a way of avoiding identification. His real name is Yakov. This therefore, aims at hiding his identity especially from the spies. He faces risk of attack and capture by the spies putting in mind that he has written a true story/ book about the Soviet Union missile capabilities. Hence, to avoid falling culprit of such spies he hides his identity to be on a safer side. Therefore, in all these three novels by John le Carre, there is a clear relationship in that he has used some kind of deceit in compiling his stories. Although the instances of deceit various, they are all related and they have assisted in advancing the plot of novels. The author has also managed to arouse the interest of the reader and stimulated the urge of the reader by capturing his attention through employment of this tricks of deceit. It has made the stories to sound real and interesting. The characters in the three novels have takes different paths in life as they carryon with their missions.
Taking different paths in life
In the novel The Spy who came in from Cold, the author has also managed to bring out the idea of taking different paths in life. For instance in this novel, after Leamas and Liz meets and falls in love, Leamas departs from Liz after the control scheme, and makes Liz promise him not to contact him and also tells Control to leave Liz alone which he agrees. Leases in jailed after committing as crime whereby he assaulted a grocer. In addition, in this novel Leamas also decides to fall in love with Liz after saying single for a while. By falling in love with Liz, he changes his status and therefore leads a new path of life. This change of climate and environment has adverse effects on her due to schizophrenic kind of lifestyle. Although she does not like it, she goes through the training, the task assigned to her. She finds the new assignment a bit hectic and not interesting but still perseveres until she achieves her mission (Vogel Para.6), which is a clear illustration of change of life paths. Further more, another such illustration, as brought out by the author is whereby Charlie changes her career from being an actor to a spy for the Israel Spy Unit with the mission of bringing terrorists down in their Jews headquarters in various countries more so in Germany. In The Russia House, Barley is trained as a spy after interrogations by the British intelligence agents and found out not to know Katya. This training changes his way of life. After his release, Barley decides to move to his Lebanon home together with Katya and her family and begins a new life (Canby para.5). He settles and begins to lead a new live back at his home. Therefore, there is an aspect of changing the life path by the barley, he finds it wise to do away with the issue of being spy and decides to settle down and live a comfortable life with his lover Katya together with her family. He faces risky situations while working as a spy.
Therefore, in these three novels, the author John le Carre there is some relationships in the way he portrays the characters in the stories. He uses the characters and eventually at the end of provides information how the characters transforms and changing or rather adapts to other kind of life. Almost in all the novels, the characters used in the story at some point decide on the way they take or live (Cayn & Schuster Para. 3). The characters change their life path to others. For instance, in the novel The Little Drummer Girl, the actor Charlie decides to change his life path by becoming a spy for the Israel spy units. He is sent to Palestine to accomplish his assignment. Furthermore, in the novel, The Spy who came in from Cold the author has also ensured some level of change of life path, whereby the characters as Leamas decides to enter into a relationship, with Liz and many other illustrations, which he has presented. Finally yet important, in the novel The Russia House, there is also a transition or change in life path by some of the characters. For instance, the character Barley decided to settle down in his home and avoid his role of spy. He settled down with his Katya and her family members after facing warning with his lover. Therefore, there is a clear cut of or rather relationships in these three books. In conclusion, the author has employed similar thinking line in his work in the three novels.
In conclusion/Thinking Line
In conclusion, it is evident from the three books that the author employs similar styles and lines of thoughts in compiling his work. For instance when it comes to the idea of love all the books have an aspect of love. The author uses the love to explain and develop his plot and to ensure that three stories flow well and capturing the interests of love. By using love, the author achieves in making the story a reality. People or rather many audiences remain captured when a story has some aspects of love. The way the author has used the aspect of love is interesting and has various reasons, worth learning and practicing by the audience. Most of his love characters end in a dilemma either succumbing to death or by escaping death at a very close range. It is therefore true that love can be painful sometimes leading to death. His use of love clearly illustrated what actually goes on in our daily lives as we meet our spouses and indulge in love. There exist higher risks in love.
The other aspects which has come out clearly in all the three books is deceit as it has been discussed in the essay above. The author in all these novels has used deceit in developing his stories and in building upon the plot of his stories the three stories are full of false tactics which the characters employed in order to win over their enemies and competitors. This also is a clear show and illustration of what goes in most of the countries and especially in the spy unit’s agencies. The author has managed to bring out this clearly and in understandable way. These deceit and false tactics has also made the story more appealing and interesting to read as it keeps a reader more glued. This has also ensured that there is in suspense and in need to know what happens next. Therefore, there exists a greater relationship on deceit in these three books. Furthermore, when it comes to the idea of change in life paths, the author John Le Carre has also shown these aspects clearly in the three books. There exist these relationships in that most of the characters at some point change to other way of life because of the circumstances. This is also a well presentation of the real life situation w hereby a person is always chafing from one kind of life to another in order to achieve certain objectives or because of certain factors or reason. Therefore, the author has done a recommendable job in the three books. As evidenced above, the three novels have some level of relationships when it comes to the three aspects afore discussed.
Works Cited
Serem, Andrew. The Spy who came in from the Cold, 2008. Web.
Briley, Richard. The Search of Terrorism Root Causes: The Little Drummer Girl, Boston: MA, 2002. Print.
Bridget, Baxton. Book review: The Russia House by John Le Carré, 1999. Web.
Canby, Vincent. The Russia House Review. New York: Word Press, 2003. Print.
Ebert, Richard. John Carres’ The Russia House. Oxford: Oxford UP, 1990. Print.
Hinson, Hal. The Spy who came in from the Cold Review. West Virginia: WVA Press, 2002. Print.
Howe, Desson. The Russia House. New York: Word Press, 2003. Print.
Vogel, John. The little drummer girl, 2000.
Bismack, Simon. The Little Drummer Girl John le Carre book review. Britain: Rutledge, 2001. Print.
Cayn, Simon and Schuster, Wogan. The Little Drummer Girl, 2006. Web.