Philosophical Viewpoints: Communism Quotes - Quotes, The Revolutionist | The Revolutionist- Summary, Themes & Characters - Novels PDF Download

In 1919 he was traveling on the railroads in Italy, carrying a square of oilcloth from the headquarters of the party written in indelible pencil and saying here was a comrade who had suffered very much under the Whites in Budapest and requesting comrades to aid him in any way. (1)

The story's opening sentence identifies the main character as a communist from the start. This also draws attention to the international quality of the communist movement during this period—the comrade is from Budapest but he easily attains support from fellow comrades in Italy.

Horthy's men had done some bad things to him. He talked about it a little. (3)

Here we learn that the comrade has experienced some brutal violence, but as usual, Hemingway doesn't give us much in the way of details. We know just enough to imagine what he must have suffered—and that he did so for his beliefs.

In spite of Hungary, he believed altogether in the world revolution. (3)

Here we get a good sense for the comrade's idealism: He has suffered as a member of the Communist Party in Budapest—and seen his party defeated and banned—but he still believes in the world revolution.

"You have everything here. It is the one country that everyone is sure of. It will be the starting point of everything."

I didn't say anything. (6-7)

This exchange draws an important contrast between the comrade's and the narrator's perspectives on the communist movement. While the comrade inexplicably believes that Italy will be the start of the revolution, the narrator's non-response suggests that he is not so certain. And what does the comrade mean by "you have everything here," anyway? Part of the problem with his idealism is that it includes some very vague pronouncements, like this one, which doesn't amount to much of anything.