Theater Of The Real Forces Charlie example essay topic

Gretchen Kokoszka Terrorism and Literature October 15, 2002 Moral Ambiguity of Charlie in The Little Drummer Girl In George J. Lennard's, "John le Carre" critical assessment of the ending of Little Drummer Girl, he claims that "Charlie can not continue to act in the theater of the real... she can no longer return to the romantic fluff of Western middle class society". Charlie's last line in the novel, the theater of the real, are "I am dead" (pp. 659), which confirms Lennard's statement. Charlie, an actress, by nature and craft is a coerced into a scheme to infiltrate a terrorist ring, against her convictions. By playing upon Charlie's insecurities and her need for acceptance, this scheme forms a kind of moral ambiguity and uncertainness inside Charlie. When it ends, her world is shattered, and she becomes "dead" in a figurative sense. The theater of the real forces Charlie to give a performance of a lifetime as her own life is at stake.

In the beginning Charlie, willing and naive, accepts the script given to her by Joseph. Joseph himself, trains Charlie how to act in this scheme, much like an acting coach trains an inexperienced theatrical student. Along the way, Joseph gives her important pieces of advice such as "stay with the logic of the fiction... weaken and you will ruin the operation... we " ll repair [any] damage (pp. 468), advice which Charlie does not closely follow. In a world that will be turn upside down for Charlie, Joseph is her one remaining constant. The people Charlie comes in contact with can be best described as characters or actors in fiction as well. The characters names change almost as frequently as Charlie's views of her situation.

The changing names give way to the belief that the characters, under disguise, can not really be held responsible for their actions as they are in costume. As the novel progresses, Charlie also changes costumes much like a chameleon changes with its environment. When Charlie's character is the Israelites, she is sympathetic to them; likewise, when she is with the Palestinians, she takes on their beliefs, which in it self creates a chaos and provides substance to the theme of moral ambiguity in le Carre's novel. Charlie begins her journey into moral ambiguity with the death of Michel, a Palestinian terrorist. Following her script carefully, Charlie infiltrates the terrorist ring, convincing them that she was Michel's lover.

Charlie gives an outstanding "controlled but deeply felt performance" (pp. 420), as tears stream down her face and screams "you bastards, Fascist cheats, who killed my darling lover in the theater of the real" (pp. 421). The fact that Charlie actually refers to herself as a character in a play shows that Charlie has not yet changes costumes to fit the Palestinians believes and thus conflict of her moral ambiguity has not yet arrived. Just as Charlie beings to assimilate to the "life of isolation" (pp. 464) that has been created for her by Joseph, Charlie is thrust back into the un costumed world of the real. As she arrives at her own flat, an old abusive lover, Al contacts her and demands that she "come 'round now" (pp. 471) significantly showing the reader that Charlie's character both in the world of real and fiction is equally submissive to the demands of her male counter parts.

However, unlike Charlie's theatrical character, she begins to ask Al questions and stands up to him when she disagrees, creating a paradox to her other self. Upon returning to the Terrorist ring, Charlie now, more than ever finds it easiest to comply with the scripts instructions. Because Charlie has adopted her role in the theater of the real so well, it becomes uncertain which views are of the real Charlie as opposed to her theatrical character. It is only when the two world begin to combine, Charlie finds that she must not only stick to the script given to her, but also begin to write her own lines as Joseph advises her to "play no tricks, just use your very own model", (pp. 492) if she is to be believed.

By doing this, Charlie indeed is taking on a chameleon like personality as her convictions and certainties fade away. Perhaps Charlie's merging worlds is best shown in a love scene shared between Joseph and Charlie. At this point, the reader is uncertain whether or not Charlie is simply acting, pretending it is her theatrical character making love to Michel or if she is truly giving into a personal desire. A world of false appearance, passports and papers become a world that Charlie beings to appreciate.

She finds the characters "an easy people to love", (pp. 497) for reason such as their shyness... their discipline and authority over her (pp. 503). The authority in the terrorist characters provide her with new ideas and beliefs of the revolution. Charlie, convincingly sequesters herself to the Revolution in the name of Michel, her dead lover. As she joins, Charlie once again becomes blind to the leading of the force which guides her. As Charlie adopts her script, and the beliefs written in it, she begins to wonder if "the actress in her is dead at last... whether she was so convinced with the theater of the real that the difference between life and art had disappeared" (pp. 560) Soon after her realization, she is sent to meet the brother of Michel, the terrorist leader, Khalil. Upon her arrival, Khalil requires that she "acquire a fresh identity" (pp. 571).

He costume now is to be a character of no sex appeal. She is to become a woman by the name of Imogen, a courageous liberal hero from South Africa. It becomes clear that despite the constant character changes, Charlie has adopted this lifestyle as her own and claims " I have no life but this one. I have non love but Michel and no loyalty except to the great Khalil" (pp. 580).

The change in Charlie is so dramatic that even Joseph claims "she has gone over to them" (pp. 585). When other Israelis want to abandon Charlie because of her new identity, it is Joseph who comes to her defense by confidently stating that "she's an actress, she " ll see it through, don't worry" (pp. 587). However, as Charlie begins to accept her new life, she becomes uncertain of the old. The new Charlie has been newly convinced that there is not a "shred of good" (pp. 571) in what she was doing because she had seen the "price of western influence" (pp. 571). In this new life Charlie has created for herself, she is no longer rejected. Perhaps the reason for her quick conversion to the other side.

Joseph and the Israelites begin to take action precisely at the same time Charlie makes her complete conversion. Charlie has become so involved with her character that her true self has been lost along the way. Actions Charlie never would have done, are now done by her new self; as thus she is transformed from a pure figure to a terrorist participant in bombings under the guise of Imogen. The novel comes to an abrupt halt when her new life is shattered as her Israeli counter parts quickly infiltrate her new life and kill her new lover Khalil. It is in his death, witnessed by Charlie that a first moral certainty arises.

In the midst of the chaos taking place, Charlie notices the Khalil's hands: one is gloved in leather, a false skin- a costume, while the other is real. Significantly, Charlie realizes perhaps she was not the only one playing a character in the theater of the real. After Khalil's death, two women grab Charlie. The action seems to tell her that "further resistance [into the real] is futile" (pp. 600). And so, Charlie enters back into the world of the real changed and alone, even "dead" because she is unable to ever be the same. Charlie's character deals with concerns of terrorism, the persuasive power of love and the moral ambiguity on both sides of the fence.

Perhaps her most important discovery is when she realizes the cost of violence to those who preform it. Although Charlie is clearly the protagonist of the novel, she makes an important discover which seems to eliminate the conflict of moral ambiguity: there is good and evil in everyone. This lesson affects Charlie in ways the writers of her script never could have known. Like the writers of a good novel, she has already begun to miss the character she has fallen in love with- herself. Charlie now, neither belongs in the theater of the real no in the real world- she will no longer fit in either as she once did, Making her "dead" to herself and everyone who once knew her Le Carre leaves us with an image of Charlie preforming works of art in a theater for a real audience. Significantly because Charlie's ambiguity of herself can best be seen by playing the characters of others.