57 pages • 1 hour read
Ken FollettEye of the Needle
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1978A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Background
Literary Genre: Spy Fiction and the Female Hero
Spy fiction is a literary subgenre that is seen as early as the 19th century with the publication of stories such as The Spy by James Fenimore Cooper. The subgenre became more popular in the early 20th century with the changing social climate brought about by World War I. These early novels introduced tropes and themes that are common in modern spy novels, such as man on the run and ordinary people caught up in international intrigue. Later, with the advent of World War II and the Cold War, more complicated themes, such as the complex morality of espionage, began to appear in spy fiction.
Spy fiction traditionally centers male characters. Women in these novels are often background characters. When women are the main protagonist, they often avoid the violence that is common in this subgenre or are rescued from it by a strong male character. The Eye of the Needle twists this common trope. In the preface to the 40th anniversary of the novel, Ken Follet comments that “one feature of the book is strikingly original: the hero is a woman” (x). Like many other spy novels, Follet places his female protagonist in danger, but unlike other novels, Follet allows his female protagonist to be her own hero by placing her in a position where she must save herself.
Historical Context: The Invasion of Normandy on D-Day
On June 6, 1944, Allied forces including the United States, Canada, and Britain invaded Normandy in northern France. On that day, 156,000 troops arrived on the beaches of Normandy to create a secure foothold for a large-scale invasion. Less than a week later, 326,000 troops, 50,000 vehicles, and 100,000 tons of equipment landed on the beaches. This invasion remains the largest naval, air, and land operation in history.
Germany had invaded France in May of 1940, causing the evacuation of British forces from Dunkirk that same month. Shortly after the United States entered the war in 1941, it became clear that the Allies would need to invade France in order to push back German forces and invade Germany. Germany was aware of the Allied intention to invade France but was unsure of where the invasion would come. Allied forces used an elaborate strategy of deception codenamed Operation Bodyguard to further confuse Germany on the issue. As part of this strategy, messages to Patton’s army division were rerouted through Kent, England to give German spies the impression that Patton’s army was stationed there. Follet uses this piece of history in his novel, allowing his antagonist, Faber, to discover the deceit of a large gathering of Patton’s First United States Army Group in East Anglia, threatening the planned the invasion of Allied forces at Normandy.
The invasion was scheduled to take place on June 5, 1944, but bad weather caused a postponement. Allied troops began landing on four different beaches early in the morning of June 6, 1944. The troops faced strong opposition, with 4,000 men dying on the first day. However, the Allied invasion was successful, and Allied troops had control of the beaches in less than a week. By the end of June, Allied forces had secured the port of Cherbourg, allowing the landing of 850,000 troops and 150,000 vehicles. By August 1944, Allied forces had liberated Paris and were prepared to enter Germany. D-Day is seen as the beginning of the end of the war against Germany, with the Germans surrendering May 8, 1945.
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