Red Dusk and the Morrow · Chapter
The Green Shawl explained
The narrator recounts the days following Marsh's flight, focusing on efforts to secure Mrs.
What happens
The narrator recounts the days following Marsh's flight, focusing on efforts to secure Mrs. Marsh's release and gather news of Melnikoff. He attends Communist meetings, studies Soviet literature, and befriends the ex-Journalist Dmitri Konstantinovitch, helping him manage his household. The narrator meets the 'Banker,' who sarcastically describes the Bolsheviks' hypocritical treatment of educated professionals. He brings money to Zorinsky, who suggests a risky method to cross into Finland via bribery. The little policeman advises that Mrs. Marsh's case is in abeyance and now is the time to act. Zorinsky reveals that Marsh has escaped to Finland, then cruelly predicts Mrs. Marsh will be shot as a hostage, deeply unsettling the narrator.
Themes in this chapter
Propaganda and the Corruption of Language
The narrator describes Communist meetings as reeling off 'banal propagandist phraseology' and notes that freedom of speech has become 'freedom for Bolshevist speech only and prison for any other.'
Totalitarian Control and Repression
The little policeman's nervousness about No. 2 Gorokhovaya and Zorinsky's casual prediction that Mrs. Marsh will be shot as a hostage illustrate the pervasive terror and arbitrary violence of the Cheka.
Survival and Everyday Resistance
The narrator's careful management of resources (stoves, food) and his secret efforts to arrange Mrs. Marsh's escape exemplify daily acts of survival and resistance under Bolshevik rule.
Characters to notice
- Dmitri Konstantinovitch
The ex-Journalist; the narrator helps him manage his household and stoves, and takes him out for a meal.
- Captain Zorinsky
The narrator brings him money for Marsh's case; Zorinsky suggests a bribery method to cross into Finland and later reacts with shock and then laughter upon learning of Marsh's escape, predicting Mrs. Marsh will be shot.
- Mrs. Marsh
Her case is in abeyance at No. 2 Gorokhovaya; the little policeman advises it is time to act for her escape; Zorinsky predicts she will be shot as a hostage.
- The Little Policeman
Reports that Mrs. Marsh's case is in abeyance and advises the narrator to act now for her escape; becomes nervous and excited as the plan develops.
- Maria
Provides the narrator with presents (cigarettes, sugar, butter) for the little policeman; is in a constant state of anxiety over Mrs. Marsh's situation.
- Mr. Marsh
Has escaped to Finland; his flight is confirmed to Zorinsky, causing a strong reaction.
- Mr. Markovitch
Referred to as the 'Banker'; a business friend of Marsh who is unable to supply all the money needed; sarcastic about Bolsheviks' treatment of educated people.
Key passages
“freedom of speech granted by the revolution had come to mean freedom for Bolshevist speech only and prison for any other.”
The revolution's promise of free speech now only allows Bolshevik viewpoints; anyone expressing other opinions faces imprisonment.
Highlights the suppression of dissent and the corruption of revolutionary ideals.
“In public speeches they still have to call us 'bourzhu swine' for the sake of appearances, but in private, when the doors are closed, it is very different.”
Publicly, Bolsheviks denounce the bourgeoisie, but privately they treat educated professionals with respect and even deference.
Reveals the hypocrisy and pragmatism of Bolshevik leaders behind the scenes.
“What else do they take hostages for?”
Zorinsky implies that the purpose of taking hostages is to execute them if the fugitive escapes, justifying Mrs. Marsh's likely fate.
Illustrates the brutal logic of Cheka hostage policies.
