Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy is an exceptionally complex work, rich in themes that invite discussion. A good beginning for a discussion might be the characterization of Smiley, the tired, battered, betrayed-on-all-sides, yet faithful spy. He has been abused mightily by the Circus; his hard work has usually gone unrewarded. Yet, he returns to work, bucking a system that values appearances more than truth, in order to ferret out a mole who has betrayed, as the tale reveals, even his most faithful friends, because of his vague dislike of the British culture. Smiley is a member of that culture, and he has been betrayed by it as much as by the foreign agents that he battles in secret.

Betrayed on all sides, Smiley seems representative of how people bear the weight of betrayal, disappointment, and unappreciation. Through him, the themes of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy are made...