Previous
Gletkin
Rubashov’s former secretary and lover, Arlova appears in the novel in flashback form, as Rubashov recalls his affair with her. She is large, womanly, and passive: she doesn’t ask anything of Rubashov and she tells him he can do what he likes with her. Arlova was appointed librarian in the bureaucratic unit where they both worked, but soon suspicions arose about her loyalty. While Rubashov initially delayed participating in the accusations against her, once the Party gave him an ultimatum, he betrayed her, which led to her execution. During Rubashov’s own trial, ironically, this fact is brought up as proof of Rubashov’s moral bankruptcy, since he gave her up to save himself. Arlova is the first in a list of people whom Rubashov, without much compunction, sacrificed on behalf of the Party. Throughout his own imprisonment, he comes to equate her with his newly awakened sense of the sacredness of the individual.
Arlova Quotes in Darkness at Noon
The Darkness at Noon quotes below are all either spoken by Arlova or refer to Arlova. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
The Second Hearing: 4
Quotes
He had sacrificed Arlova because his own existence was more valuable to the Revolution. That was the decisive argument his friends had used to convince him; the duty to keep oneself in reserve for later on was more important than the commandments of petty bourgeois morality. For those who had changed the face of history, there was no other duty than to stay here and be ready. “You can do what you like with me,” Arlova had said, and so he had done. Why should he treat himself with more consideration?
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
The Second Hearing: 6
Quotes
Up till now, he had never imagined Arlova’s death in such detail. It had always been for him an abstract occurrence; it had left him with a feeling of strong uneasiness, but he had never doubted the logical rightness of his behavior. Now, in the nausea which turned his stomach and drove the wet perspiration from his forehead, his past mode of thought seemed lunacy. The whimpering of Bogrov unbalanced the logical equation.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
The Third Hearing: 3
Quotes
If history were a matter of calculation, how much did the sum of two thousand nightmares weigh, the pressure of a two-thousandfold helpless craving? Now he really felt the sisterly scent of Arlova; his body under the woolen blanket was covered with sweat….
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire Darkness at Noon LitChart as a printable PDF.
Arlova Quotes in Darkness at Noon
The Darkness at Noon quotes below are all either spoken by Arlova or refer to Arlova. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
The Second Hearing: 4
Quotes
He had sacrificed Arlova because his own existence was more valuable to the Revolution. That was the decisive argument his friends had used to convince him; the duty to keep oneself in reserve for later on was more important than the commandments of petty bourgeois morality. For those who had changed the face of history, there was no other duty than to stay here and be ready. “You can do what you like with me,” Arlova had said, and so he had done. Why should he treat himself with more consideration?
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
The Second Hearing: 6
Quotes
Up till now, he had never imagined Arlova’s death in such detail. It had always been for him an abstract occurrence; it had left him with a feeling of strong uneasiness, but he had never doubted the logical rightness of his behavior. Now, in the nausea which turned his stomach and drove the wet perspiration from his forehead, his past mode of thought seemed lunacy. The whimpering of Bogrov unbalanced the logical equation.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
The Third Hearing: 3
Quotes
If history were a matter of calculation, how much did the sum of two thousand nightmares weigh, the pressure of a two-thousandfold helpless craving? Now he really felt the sisterly scent of Arlova; his body under the woolen blanket was covered with sweat….
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
