Chapter 59: The Sedative and the Spy
Spoiler Warning: This analysis reveals key plot developments from Chapter 59 of Cry Havoc. Read only after finishing the chapter.
Summary
Ella waits in the Bangkok hotel suite, anxious and second-guessing the CIA’s claim that Gabriel Dvornikov ordered her father’s assassination. She has already drunk two glasses of champagne and poured a third, her flute resting beside a whiskey glass laced with white powder—a sedative supplied by Serrano, who promised it would incapacitate, not kill. Ella rationalizes the mission, noting Dvornikov is worth more alive. However, she deliberately withholds knowledge of the ever-present security agent from the Americans. Dressed in a blue-and-white slip, she pours Mekhong whiskey over the dissolved drug just as Dvornikov enters. They exchange flirtations, toast, and discuss the book Le Feu before moving to the bed. During sex, she notes his unusual sweating but he remains conscious. Afterward, she heads to the bath, handing him the spiked glass to ensure he finishes it. She plans to meet the CIA’s Vietnamese contact in the lobby while he is unconscious, or, if the security man intervenes, let Hanoi and the Soviets continue the war. In the bathroom, she stares at her own reflection and asks herself a damning question: did she just sleep with the man who killed her father?
Key Events
- Ella paces the suite, clutching her emerald amulet and doubting Gabriel’s guilt.
- She prepares the sedative by dissolving white powder in Mekhong whiskey.
- She reveals an undisclosed detail: Gabriel is shadowed by a security man who avoids eye contact yet seems always vigilant.
- Ella changes into lingerie deliberately chosen to please Gabriel.
- Dvornikov arrives with a waxed-fabric suitcase, dressed in a cream tropical suit.
- They discuss a paperback containing intelligence crucial to the GRU, and Gabriel lectures on Le Feu and its influence on Hemingway.
- The two have sex; Ella notices his excessive sweating but he does not pass out.
- Ella hands him the remainder of the drugged drink before retreating to the bath.
- She rehearses her exit strategy: deliver the room key to the CIA asset, then let fate decide whether the Americans or Soviets prevail.
- Alone in the bathroom, she steadies herself against the countertop and confronts the possibility she has been intimate with her father’s murderer.
Character Development
Ella: The chapter deepens her moral fracture. She physically goes through with the seduction and drugging while mentally dissociating. Her internal question—“Did I just sleep with the man who killed my father?”—shows she has crossed a line she cannot easily uncross. Her decision to keep the security man a secret reveals a cold, strategic mind operating beneath her surface anxiety.
Gabriel Dvornikov: Portrayed as more than a target, he emerges as a cultured, confident man—discussing French war literature, toasting with his favorite spirit, and displaying genuine physical desire for Ella. His trust in her makes the impending betrayal sting sharper.
Themes, Symbols, and Motifs
Mekhong Whiskey and Champagne: The Mekhong represents Dvornikov’s world, the bittersweet aftertaste Ella dislikes. Champagne is her comfort, the Western luxury she clings to. The drugs dissolve invisibly into the golden liquid—just as hidden agendas sink into their relationship.
Le Feu (Under Fire): The novel by Henri Barbusse, based on World War I trench experiences, becomes a mirror. Gabriel quotes its influence on the Lost Generation, and Ella suggests people might say the same of them after this war. The motif reinforces the chapter’s central question: are Ella and Gabriel both lost souls in a larger, indifferent conflict?
The Security Man: A looming, silent presence who drinks Coca-Cola and never makes eye contact. He symbolizes the unseen watchers of intelligence work—the variable Ella deliberately omits from her CIA deal, tipping the balance toward chaos regardless of which side she assists.
The Amulet: Ella clutches her emerald amulet in the opening line, a tangible connection to her father and the legacy that drives her actions. It’s a private talisman she holds onto while performing betrayal.
Why This Chapter Matters
Chapter 59 crystallizes the novel’s central moral dilemma. Ella’s choice to drug Dvornikov transforms her from a reactive player into an active double agent, yet her internal doubt erodes any sense of triumph. By withholding the security man’s existence, she ensures the CIA’s extraction plan carries unknown risk, making her an unreliable asset. The chapter also humanizes Dvornikov through literature and intimacy, complicating the reader’s ability to view him simply as a villain. The bathtub scene—naked, staring at herself, questioning everything—is a quiet but devastating character beat that reverberates into the closing act of Cry Havoc.
Study Questions and Answers
1. Why does Ella withhold information about the security man from the CIA? She reasons that if Dvornikov is removed, the war might end too quickly, robbing Hanoi and the Soviets of leverage. The omission reveals her ambivalence: she is willing to betray both sides to shape an outcome she still cannot fully define.
2. What role does Le Feu play in the conversation between Ella and Gabriel? The book becomes a vehicle for Dvornikov to display his intellect and cultural sophistication, which contrasts with the clinical violence of his profession. For Ella, it provokes the idea that their generation is “lost” in a war that is merely one battle in a larger historical struggle.
3. How does the author use the bathroom scene to convey Ella’s internal state? The physical act of steadying herself on the countertop and staring into the mirror externalizes her psychological fracture. She must literally hold onto something solid while facing the possibility she has shared intimacy with her father’s killer, making the private moment as tense as any spycraft sequence.