Darkness at Noon

Trace the references to light—both natural and artificial—and dark in the novel, and the relationship of this motif to Rubashov’s ability to make sense of his situation and his guilt.

Compare the functions of various pictures mentioned in the text—such as the portrait of No. 1 and the photography of the “numbered heads” of the Party founders. What does the novel suggest about the political or symbolic value of images and of art more broadly?

Analyze references to physicality in the book, including but not necessarily limited to Rubashov’s memories of torture, of Arlova’s body, of Little Loewy’s stature, of Richard’s stutter, and of Kieffer’s son’s hare-lip, explaining how they matter to Rubashov’s intellectual preoccupations.