Under Western Eyes - post V

Although Conrad is not strictly a Russian writer, because he took British nationality although was born in the Ukraine, he manages to get the hang of a tragic ending although he ties things up in a way that maybe a Russian literary star would have avoided, preferring to end it with Razumov stumbling into a tram car. Still that has been the idea of the book that it is a Westerners interpretation of Russians.

Bullet points between pages 212 - 268

* The true situation of Razumov becomes clear with him being a double agent working for the police back in Russia collecting information on the revolutionists and sending it back for the authorities

* He finally appears at the Haladin’s after the daughter had gone out to fetch him because the mother suspected she was keeping a secret life from her but things don’t go quite according to plan and Razumov confesses to her he betrayed her brother

* Following the confession Razumov finishes the document that the narrator uses as the basis for the story and then heads to tell the revolutionists the truth and is rewarded by having his eardrums burst and ends up being hit by a tram

* The maid working at the revolutionary headquarters in Geneva who had promised to look after him in the event of trouble steps forward and makes sure that he is taken to hospital and finally goes back to Russia with him but Razumov is left a cripple without much time left to live

* Haladin’s mother dies and the daughter heads back to Russia handing the Razumov document to the English narrator who bids farewell to the daughter who heads back and dedicates herself to helping those unfortunates in prison and hospitals

* The narrator is left behind in Geneva and stumbles across one of the revolutionists years later who tells him what has become of everyone and provides a powerful reminder that revolutions are an obsession of the young and the old often have the wisdom to see the bigger picture

Review will be posted over the weekend…