Red Inferno Character Analysis

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In Robert Conroy’s book Red Inferno, the character of Steve Burke is a symbol for military intelligence is essential for winning a war. Burke is not a particularly manly and does not possess much physical strength. But, what Burke does have is a strong mind. Even if he himself would not be an effective soldier in the trenches, Burke serves an even more important role of military strategist. He accurately provides the right place to drop the atomic bomb to the top American generals. In a meeting with all of the top US military brass, Burke explains “Sir, if we take out their commanders as well as cause casualties, the survivors will be a leaderless mob until such a time as Stalin is able to correct things. If the bomb is as good as it is supposed …show more content…

Natalie is an immigrant from Russia during the time of the rise of communism and the creation of the Soviet Union. When she was a child, Bolshevik secret police agents broke into her home, murdered her father, and raped her mother. Natalie describes the experience as such “... the Bolshevik secret police came for innocent Nikolai Siminov, and dragged him outside screaming. They kicked him and punched him while my mother and I watched through the window. When that bored them, they threw him in a car and came back in and raped my mother while I hid in the closet listening to it all.” (Conroy 68). Realizing that Russia was not safe for them, Natalie and her mother changed their names and fled to America. While Natalie’s story is just an anecdotal experience of typical Soviet life, it is clear to the reader that such cruelties are not uncommon in the Soviet Union. Natalie finished the remainder of her childhood in America and started working in a government position in the US war department. This is how she becomes acquainted with the character of Steve Burke. As noted by several of the characters within the government office in which Natalie works, Natalie is a beautiful young woman. Burke summarizes her qualities when he says “She was tall, dark haired, lithe, intelligent, wide-eyed, lovely, educated, and doubtless unattainable” (Conroy 10). Natalie and Burke eventually fall in love, which is one of the central events in the

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