Genre
Biography
Setting and Context
Set in England in 1963.
Narrator and Point of View
First-person point of view
Tone and Mood
Enlightening and sanguine
Protagonist and Antagonist
The protagonist is Kim Philby, and the antagonist is Nicholas Eliot.
Major Conflict
There is a major conflict between Philby and Eliot. Eliot is disappointed when he learns Philby secretly works with the Soviet Union.
Climax
The climax comes when Eliot finds out that Philby is betraying him.
Foreshadowing
Philby’s success in his spy activities is foreshadowed by the trust the British authorities accorded him.
Understatement
n/a
Allusions
The story alludes to Ric Prado's "The Life of a CIA Shadow Warrior," which discusses betrayal and mistrust.
Imagery
The narrator depicts the sense of sight when he describes the lives of Eliot and Philby. For instance, the narrator describes how these two friends attend the same fancy nightclubs and work closely as brothers. Philby takes advantage of Eliot's trust to work for the Soviet Union secretly. Consequently, the imagery is significant because it shows how Philby betrays his friend Eliot.
Paradox
The main paradox in the novel is that Kim Philby is the most trusted intelligence agent for the British, but he secretly works with the enemy, the Soviet Union, during the cold war.
Parallelism
There is a parallelism between Philby’s intention to betray the Western allies and Elliot’s unsuspecting disclosures.
Metonymy and Synecdoche
n/a
Personification
The Soviet Union is personified as intelligent because it uses Western spies to get critical information.
