Intelligence in the Twentieth Century: Spies, Codes, and Surveillance
Answer the following question:
Graham Greene’s The Quiet American works on a number of levels. It can be interpreted as a somewhat cynical allegory of the tensions among (1) the newest world power’s naiveté and arrogance, (2) the old European empires’ decadence and decline, and (3) the indigenous people who are caught between the two and their own dreams and aspirations (all as a kind of unromantic and anti-climactic end of the Great Game).
How do the three main characters embody these tensions? In what ways does Alden Pyle represent or play off of these tensions? What does he hope to achieve with his support of York Harding’s “Third Force”? How does he use covert operations and his role as an intelligence officer to advance the “Third Force”? On a more personal level, what are Pyle’s plans for Phuong? Why? How does Fowler respond to Pyle’s ideas and actions? Why? Given the ending of the book, what point(s) do you think Greene himself wanted his story to make? You should be clear in your arguments and be sure to support them with specific references from the text.
Sample Solution