# How does The Secret City develop the theme of Fate and Uncertainty?

> The Secret City by Hugh Walpole

## Answer

The Secret City by Hugh Walpole develops Fate and Uncertainty across the chapters the companion marks for this theme.

The book is steeped in a sense of fatalism and the unpredictable nature of life, with characters feeling caught by destiny, supernatural omens, and the mysterious, uncontrollable forces of the city and history.

The Russian people's fatalism after Warsaw and Vera's vague fears about her family reflect a sense of impending doom.

The narrator feels hopelessly in the dark, unable to distinguish friend from enemy, and senses an impending catastrophe.

Durward's fear of Semyonov and the ominous change in atmosphere underscore the unpredictable and fateful nature of their encounters.

## Evidence

- [viii](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_city_se/chapters/viii.md): The Russian people's fatalism after Warsaw and Vera's vague fears about her family reflect a sense of impending doom.
- [xi](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_city_se/chapters/xi.md): The narrator feels hopelessly in the dark, unable to distinguish friend from enemy, and senses an impending catastrophe.
- [xiii](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_city_se/chapters/xiii.md): Durward's fear of Semyonov and the ominous change in atmosphere underscore the unpredictable and fateful nature of their encounters.
- [xiv](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_city_se/chapters/xiv.md): The narrator's feverish dreams and the unstable, icy imagery reflect a sense of impending doom and the precariousness of life.
- [xvi](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_city_se/chapters/xvi.md): Durdles feels drawn into events beyond his control; Vera faces an uncertain future.
- [xix](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_city_se/chapters/xix.md): Durward's obsession with approaching danger and the sense that in Russia 'the smallest action achieved monstrous proportions' reflects the theme of fate and uncertainty.
- [xx](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_city_se/chapters/xx.md): Semyonov's story about a man who sought death through another's hands reflects a fatalistic view of life and the uncertainty of human motives.
- [ii](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_city_se/chapters/ii.md): The chapter is suffused with a sense of impending change and personal crisis, as Lawrence's turmoil and Durward's flashbacks hint at larger forces at play.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_city_se/questions/how-fate-and-uncertainty
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_city_se
- All questions: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_city_se/questions