Red Dusk and the Morrow · Chapter
X: The Sphinx explained
The narrator reflects on six months of intelligence work in Bolshevik Russia, detailing the precautions taken to avoid detection, his enlistment in the Red Army as a volunteer under a false identity, and his observations on the army, the pe
What happens
The narrator reflects on six months of intelligence work in Bolshevik Russia, detailing the precautions taken to avoid detection, his enlistment in the Red Army as a volunteer under a false identity, and his observations on the army, the peasantry, and the Communist Party. He recounts the ironic story of a Tsarist officer commander who accidentally aids the Red Army and is forced to join the Communist Party, and describes how his military position afforded him greater freedom and rations. The chapter concludes with a focus on the peasantry as the enigmatic 'Russian Sphinx' upon which the future depends.
Themes in this chapter
Survival and Everyday Resistance
The narrator describes habitual precautions (hidden documents, false identity) and the ironic sabotage by the Tsarist officer commander, illustrating everyday resistance within the system.
Deception and Identity
The narrator enlists in the Red Army under a false identity, and the commander is forced to pretend to be a Communist, highlighting the pervasive deception required to survive.
The Peasantry and Rural Life Under Bolshevism
The chapter ends by focusing on the peasantry as the 'Russian Sphinx,' whose inscrutable nature will determine the future of the regime.
Totalitarian Control and Repression
The Cheka's pursuit of the narrator, the destruction of the National Centre, and the control over the army and party illustrate totalitarian repression.
Characters to notice
- Stepanovna
Mentioned as a type of trusted ally encountered during the six-month period.
- Maria
Mentioned as a type of trusted ally encountered during the six-month period.
- Captain Zorinsky
Referenced as a past threat; the Cheka (No. 2 Gorokhovaya) got close to the narrator through Zorinsky.
- The Doctor
Implied as a type of trusted ally (the 'Journalist' may refer to a previous character, but the Doctor is a known confidant).
Key passages
“I forestalled the mobilization order by about a week and applied for admission as a volunteer in the regiment of an officer acquaintance”
The narrator voluntarily enlisted in the Red Army just before being conscripted, joining a regiment commanded by an acquaintance.
Shows proactive deception to maintain control over his intelligence work.
“By sheer mistake, however, the company he despatched to perform the task blew up the right bridge, thus covering a precipitate Red retreat and effectually checking the White advance.”
The commander's plan to sabotage the Red Army backfired when his men accidentally destroyed the correct bridge, aiding the Reds instead.
Illustrates the ironic and chaotic nature of resistance within the Red Army.
“the future lies in the lap of that vast inarticulate mass of simple peasant toilers, so justly termed the Russian Sphinx.”
The fate of Russia depends on the silent, enigmatic peasant majority, whom the author calls the Russian Sphinx.
Central metaphor of the chapter, emphasizing the peasantry's pivotal but mysterious role.