Another fellow prisoner, who seems to be especially interested in Rubashov from the start, though Rubashov isn’t certain why. Eventually, it becomes clear that Hare-lip is the son of Professor Kieffer, an old friend of Rubashov’s, and Hare-lip is attempting to lighten his own sentence by accusing Rubashov of plotting to kill No. 1. Hare-lip is described as young, cowardly, and desperate to the extent that he is willing to do whatever he can to save is own life. In the end, his accusation ends up being insufficient to save him.
Hare-lip (Young Kieffer) Quotes in Darkness at Noon
The Darkness at Noon quotes below are all either spoken by Hare-lip (Young Kieffer) or refer to Hare-lip (Young Kieffer). For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Note: all page numbers and citation info for the quotes below refer to the Scribner edition of Darkness at Noon published in 2006.
The Third Hearing: 3
Quotes
“Rubashov laughed at my father, and repeated that he was a fool and a Don Quixote. Then he declared that No. 1 was no accidental phenomenon, but the embodiment of a certain human characteristic—namely, of an absolute belief in the infallibility of one’s own conviction, from which he drew the strength for his complete unscrupulousness.”
Related Characters:
Hare-lip (Young Kieffer) (speaker), Nicholas Salmanovitch Rubashov, Professor Kieffer
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
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Hare-lip (Young Kieffer) Character Timeline in Darkness at Noon
The timeline below shows where the character Hare-lip (Young Kieffer) appears in Darkness at Noon. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
The First Hearing: 10
...man next to him are. 402 says they’re political, of Rubashov’s kind, not his own. “Hare-lip” is No. 400 and was tortured yesterday through steambath: while Rubashov was beaten up during...
(full context)
The First Hearing: 11
...if he must pay for those deeds all the same. 402 taps to him that Hare-lip sends him greetings.
(full context)
The First Hearing: 13
...can extract it, but there are no anaesthetics. Rubashov breaths deeply and declines, thinking of Hare-lip and the “steambath.” Back in his cell, he immediately falls asleep. The toothache eases; three...
(full context)
The Second Hearing: 3
...the canteen. The snow has been cleared from the courtyard for the prisoners to exercise: Hare-lip always looks up at Rubashov’s window. Rubashov often looks down at them, relieved not to...
(full context)
The Second Hearing: 6
...it too. 402 says that this is the night when political differences are being settled: Hare-lip has told him that executions are happening for political prisoners. Rubashov knows that executions happen...
(full context)
The Third Hearing: 3
...booms over him, asking if he recognizes a third person now in the room: it’s Hare-lip. When Gletkin asks if Rubashov has seen this man before, a faint memory seizes Rubashov...
(full context)
Gletkin turns to Hare-lip, who says in a deep, resounding voice, that Citizen Rubashov ordered him to poison the...
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Hare-lip continues, saying that his father and he had made a detour to B to visit...
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Hare-lip says that the two men talked scornfully about the present state of affairs of the...
(full context)
Then Gletkin asks Hare-lip if what followed was Rubashov’s direct instigation to violence. After a silence, Gletkin asks if...
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Rubashov, after confirming that he has the right to ask questions, asks Hare-lip if he’d just finished his university studies when he and his father came to visit....
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Hare-lip looks at Gletkin in fear and astonishment. Rubashov feels fleetingly triumphant, but the feeling vanishes....
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The Grammatical Fiction: 2
...them all: no one could unveil the truth to the world like Danton. Some like Hare-lip were silenced by fear, others by cowardice, others by the hope to save their families,...
(full context)
The Grammatical Fiction: 3
...402, who’s been silent since Rubashov said he was capitulating, tells him that they’re fetching Hare-lip, who sends Rubashov his greetings. Peering through the spy-hole, Rubashov sees Hare-lip standing there, trembling,...
(full context)