One of the few things we know about the comrade in "The Revolutionist" is that he is loyal to the communist vision of world revolution, despite the suffering he's experienced in Budapest. He holds fiercely to this dream, inquiring about the state of the movement in Italy and insisting that Italy will be "the starting point of everything" (6). And as much as he remains loyal to the cause, so, too, does the cause remain loyal to him: He is only making his way, after all, on the good graces of comrades.
Questions About Loyalty
- Why do you think the comrade still believes in the revolution, even though things went badly in Budapest and the narrator expresses his own pessimism?
- Is the comrade's belief idealistic and naïve, brave and loyal, some combination of both?
- What does his loyalty to ideology tell us about the comrade? About this historical period?
- What does the narrator's loyalty tell us about him? Does his decision to not openly identify himself as a comrade tell us anything about his loyalty to the Party?
Chew on This
One of the few definitive characteristics of the comrade is his unwavering loyalty to the vision of a world revolution.
The comrade's youth and political idealism, in the face of terrible suffering and hardship, make him a somewhat naïve character. His loyalty is misguided.