The contrast between Soviet and American societies as exemplified by their militaries is a major theme of The Hunt for Red October, but it is not the only one. Another significant theme that is played out on several levels of the novel is that of betrayal. When the story begins, Marko Ramius has already completed his plans to betray his government. He is motivated by his hatred for the communist system, by disgust at its treatment of his countrymen, the Lithuanians, and by a desire to punish the Soviet government. A tightly self-controlled man, he does not lash out at those who have hurt him but instead determines how best to harm his government and then schemes for months to put his fellow conspirators in the right places for success.

Ramius's betrayal is a calculated response to a cruel and stifling society. It is a gesture of independence.

Betrayals...