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Arlova
Richard is the leader of the Communist Party in a region of the unnamed country (with all the characteristics of Germany) where Rubashov is fomenting revolutionary activity, and where he is later arrested. Richard is a loyal Party member, but after the dictatorship takes power in his country and begins to stamp out Communist activity, he tries to support the cause in his own way rather than through relying on Party pamphlets and directions. Richard thinks that the official Party line, emphasizing its strength even when everyone in Germany knows that the Party has been almost entirely quashed, will inevitably be unsuccessful. For Rubashov at the time, though, such a decision is little more than treason, and he denounces Richard. Richard, too, will become an example for Rubashov of a life that Rubashov sacrificed on behalf of the guiding Party logic, and thinking of Richard makes Rubashov begin to question whether it was worth it.
Richard Quotes in Darkness at Noon
The Darkness at Noon quotes below are all either spoken by Richard or refer to Richard. 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 First Hearing: 9
Quotes
“The Party can never be mistaken,” said Rubashov. “You and I can make a mistake. Not the Party. The Party, comrade, is more than you and I and a thousand others like you and I. The Party is the embodiment of the revolutionary idea in history. History knows no scruples and no hesitation. Inert and unerring, she flows towards her goal. At every bend in her course she leaves the mud which she carries and the corpses of the drowned. History knows her way. She makes no mistakes. He who has not absolute faith in History does not belong in the Party’s ranks.”
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The First Hearing: 11
Quotes
“Yet I would do it again,” he said to himself. “It was necessary and right. But do I perhaps owe you the fare all the same? Must one also pay for deeds which were right and necessary?”
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Richard Quotes in Darkness at Noon
The Darkness at Noon quotes below are all either spoken by Richard or refer to Richard. 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 First Hearing: 9
Quotes
“The Party can never be mistaken,” said Rubashov. “You and I can make a mistake. Not the Party. The Party, comrade, is more than you and I and a thousand others like you and I. The Party is the embodiment of the revolutionary idea in history. History knows no scruples and no hesitation. Inert and unerring, she flows towards her goal. At every bend in her course she leaves the mud which she carries and the corpses of the drowned. History knows her way. She makes no mistakes. He who has not absolute faith in History does not belong in the Party’s ranks.”
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Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
The First Hearing: 11
Quotes
“Yet I would do it again,” he said to himself. “It was necessary and right. But do I perhaps owe you the fare all the same? Must one also pay for deeds which were right and necessary?”
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Related Themes:
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Explanation and Analysis:
