8 and 9 Summary and Analysis

Kovály vacillates about joining the Communist Party and wants to focus on having children, founding a family life, and pursuing a career. She dislikes meetings, propaganda and politics, but Margolius' involvement deepens. Finally she signs, only somewhat convinced that Communism is a credible system. She attends meetings and is aware of the vastly disparate opinions of the real working class and the Communist intelligentsia. Some of her experiences point to a bleak future—some important Communist officers live in luxurious apartments stuffed with valuables and exotic foods. Others utilize their party position to extort money or favors. Although tangentially involved, through 1948 Kovály focuses on her work and her family and leaves most of the politicking to Margolius. As expected, she is still haunted by fear of imprisonment, torture, and murder. Almost daily, news of some friend's or family...