George Smiley and Karla in Karla Trilogy by John le Carre - Essay Example

John le Carre is a celebrated British spy writer who is famous for his Karla Trilogy among other interesting books. On that note, this essay aims to discuss the similarities of his main characters in the trilogy namely George Smiley and Karla. Both of these men are respected intelligence officers who are tasked by their organizations to foil operations and get ahead of the other. Additionally, the paper delves into the discrepancies that emanate from these men who are ready to sacrifice everything to gain recognition in the espionage world.

For instance, we realize Karla, the Soviet spymaster, is brutally ruthless and eliminates officers and agents who cross his path while Smiley employs tact and discreetness (Le Carre 34). These two intelligence officers are also different in assessment of situations despite the dangers involved. In this case, Karla does not reflect on his moves that are causing a lot of damage to the circus and that puts his mole ‘Gerald’ to danger while Smiley is careful. George Smiley and his nemesis Karla are two major characters used by renowned British spy writer, John le Carre.

Similarly, the Karla trilogy is a book that contains among other le Carre’s spy novels: Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (1974), The Honorable Schoolboy (1977) and Smiley’s People (1979). The novels overall interweave on espionage with its main protagonist George Smiley tasked to unravel and report his discoveries to the ‘Circus’ headquarter (Le Carre 67).. On that aspect, both Smiley and Karla have devised similar spy methods of dodging one another (Le Carre 45). For example, Karla, despite being ruthless and genius at the same time, uses similar survival tactics learned in the espionage world to evade capture or death.

However, the glaring discrepancy between these two men is their mood and temperament. While Gorge Smiley is a humble former intelligence officer, his nemesis Karla is boldly ruthless and employs full tactical calculations and hence is dangerous. When one General Vladimir tries to sell him out, the soviet defector is killed. Another interesting similarity between these men is their loneliness. George Smiley was forced into retirement before being recalled at his middle age leaving him very distraught.

Additionally, we learn that Smiley married the aristocratic Lady Ann Sercomb who later left him after falling in love with racing-car driver. On the other hand, ‘Gerald’ the mole is also an isolated figure who has taken it upon himself to jeopardize his integrity with the highly respected ‘Circus.’ This discovery is made after Rick Tarr, a British agent, is informed by Irina, the wife of an intelligence officer, that a Soviet mole of high rank is within the ‘Circus.’ On that revelation, the agent notifies his boss, Peter Guillam, who also notifies other senior officers within the rank to help in the investigation and smoke out the mole (Le Carre 61).

In other words, Karla understands that selling his country to the Soviets has no permanent benefits but he still goes ahead and executes many of his plans. This means he has to bear the responsibility of betraying his country alone without involving junior officers within the Circus. However, another visible