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Chapter 3
Themes
and Colors
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in I Must Betray You, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Deception, Betrayal, and Survival
Loss of Innocence
Freedom and American Influence
Hope and Resilience
Summary
Analysis
On his way home from school, Cristian grows angry at the Romanian government for taking advantage of Bunu’s health. Cristian does not want to be a spy, but he feels he has no choice. He hopes he can outwit the Securitate like he has seen happen in spy novels. He also worries about what he will tell his family. In particular, he thinks Bunu will be difficult to fool. He crafts a cover story: he will tell everyone that he has decided to go to university for philosophy and is spending his spare time studying. Cristian knows that Bunu respects philosophy, so he thinks the lie will appease him. As he walks, Cristian hears footsteps and feels certain someone is following him.
Cristian hopes he can outsmart the Securitate, but he has already failed at doing so. While he retains hope—an important and valiant feeling in the novel—his secret mission seems doomed to fail before it has begun. The idea of studying philosophy is also important in the novel because it is a field of study that encourages critical thinking, which is something the Romanian government does not want its citizens to do. Presumably, any philosophy degree in Romania during this time would not look like a philosophy degree in the West, though the novel never explores this any further.
Active
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