57 pages 1 hour read

Ken Follett

Eye of the Needle

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1978

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Character Analysis

Henry Faber/Henry Baker/Heinrich Rudolph Hans Von Müller-Güder/Die Nadel (The Needle)

Referred to as Faber throughout the novel, this character has many names because of his work as a spy. Faber is the antagonist of the novel. As a spy, Faber keeps his life isolated, not making friends or other attachments because anyone who knows him might discover his espionage and betray him. An example of this self-protective isolation takes place in the first chapter when Faber kills his landlady when she enters his room without permission and sees the wireless radio transmitter he was using to send a message to Germany. Faber makes the murder look like a sexual assault and moves on to another part of London, escaping the area without anyone missing him for several days. This isolation is an important part of Faber’s work, but it will later take a toll on him, making him vulnerable when he develops romantic feelings for Lucy at the end of the novel.

Faber appears cold and calculated throughout the novel, focused only on his loyalty to his country and his determination to help Germany win the war. However, each time Faber commits a murder, he becomes physically ill. While Faber himself puts this down to nothing more than a nuisance, it shows a more human side to his character, exposing a vulnerability that suggests he has more of a conscience than his behavior suggests.

Related Titles

By Ken Follett

Study Guide

logo

A Column of Fire

Ken Follett

A Column of Fire

Ken Follett

Plot Summary

logo

A Place Called Freedom

Ken Follett

A Place Called Freedom

Ken Follett

Plot Summary

logo

Edge of Eternity

Ken Follett

Edge of Eternity

Ken Follett

Study Guide

logo

Fall Of Giants

Ken Follett

Fall Of Giants

Ken Follett

Plot Summary

logo

Lie Down with Lions

Ken Follett

Lie Down with Lions

Ken Follett

Study Guide

logo

The Evening and the Morning

Ken Follett

The Evening and the Morning

Ken Follett

Plot Summary

logo

The Hammer of Eden

Ken Follett

The Hammer of Eden

Ken Follett

Study Guide

logo

The Pillars of the Earth

Ken Follett

The Pillars of the Earth

Ken Follett

Plot Summary

logo

Winter of the World

Ken Follett

Winter of the World

Ken Follett

Study Guide

logo

World Without End

Ken Follett

World Without End

Ken Follett