John le Carré'nin casus yazınında ihanet ve paranoya: Köstebek, Bizim Oyun ve Bahçıvan

The spy novels of John le Carré mostly revolve around the concepts of loyalty and betrayal and are imbibed with a sense of paranoia against the evil figure. In Le Carré's fiction, political betrayal usually goes parallel with personal betrayal and the clash of duty with individual conscience is a common theme. John le Carré is the author persona created by David Cornwell, a former officer of the British Secret Service who also served as an intelligence agent during the Cold War era. Although it is not a must to go back to the author's life in literary criticism, in Le Carré's case, it is his insider experience about the clandestine world that distinguishes him as a realistic author and gives his critically acclaimed novels their merit. The aim of this study is to do a close reading of three novels by John le Carré, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (1974), Our Game (1995) and The Constant Gardener (2001), in order to examine the elements of paranoia and betrayal in the light of the historical and political atmosphere of their respective era. The study also undertakes a comparison of these novels to portray the evolution of the evil figure parallel to the transformation of the dominant political forces throughout these decades and to point out the author's changing attitude towards the idea of duty from patriotism towards individual conscience. The method also involves an investigation of the people and events from the author's own life that have inspired his literary creation and are moulded into these novels in terms of characters and plot elements. Finally, the evolution of Le Carré's female protagonists is discussed from a feminist point of view within the context of betrayal. Le Carré's Cold War novels feature a strong sense of paranoia against communism as an insurmountable corrupting force. In this period, the author's idea of duty is synonymous with patriotism and his novels often portray the clash of duty with individual conscience, where duty always prevails. Considered as his Cold War masterpiece, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (1974) is a roman à clef where the events and characters can be traced back to the author's life. Written in the wake of the revelation of the Cambridge Five spy ring, the novel can also be read as a re-enactment of the greatest treason in the history of the British Secret Service in order to come to terms with the trauma of betrayal. After the fall of communism, Le Carré's focus shifted to new threats that have replaced his former archenemy. Having celebrated the individuals' effort and sacrifices to keep the threat at bay during the Cold War, the author was disillusioned after its demise when Britain left her former spheres of influence to their fate and abandoned the smaller nations to the mercy of the new Russian nationalism in the ruins of the former communist system. Our Game (1995) written in the aftermath of the Cold War presents unbridled nationalism as the new evil figure that has replaced communism. This transitional novel also marks the transformation of the author's idea of duty from patriotism towards individual conscience and action. Seemingly setting out with the same idea of duty as in his Cold War novels, towards the end of the storyline, the author turns the cards over in order to reveal an opposing view, inviting the readers to change their vantage point about the concepts of loyalty and betrayal in a world where loyalty to one's country results in apathy while the conscientious individual has a duty to take heed of the suffering around the world. The Constant Gardener (2001) written in the monopolar, capitalistic world of the new millennium is an example of docu-fiction or a thesis novel where the author focuses on the clash between capitalism and ethics. Also inspired by people, observations and documents from the author's real life, the novel is the story of one woman's quest against wild capitalism; the dominant and unrivalled power which has now replaced communism as the evil force causing the paranoia. In this new world order where multinational companies cannot be controlled by the outdated international organisations and crimes against humanity are committed for the sole purpose of profit, the individual rises above institutions and the conscience becomes the only moral compass in Le Carré's fiction. Unlike communism, which is a force that needs to be destroyed by any means in the author's Cold War fiction, capitalism in the new millennium is presented as a necessary evil that has to be bridled by the appropriate institutions since the author can offer no radical alternative to replace capitalism in a free world. The Constant Gardener is also a first in the author's canon featuring his first independent female protagonist who takes action against the outdated, male-dominated world order feeding the capitalist monster. However, the futility of the death of all his heroic characters for the greater good sheds light to his scepticism towards actually achieving a better world. The study points out that John le Carré's espionage fiction is imbibed with his personal observations and experiences and reflects the shifting vantage point of the author persona to the individuals' choices in the face of the transformation of the political threats over the decades.