How Appropriate Is the Title "Spies" for Michael Frayns Novel
How appropriate is the title of the novel?
There are many different themes through out Michael Frayn’s novel ‘Spies’ but the theme of spying is the most important. All characters in the novel participate in some sort of spying and can be seen as a kind of ‘spy’. The theme of spying was first introduced by two of the main characters Stephen and Keith when Keith came up with the scenario of, “my mother is a German spy.” These were the words “that set everything off”. Certainly there is a clear hierarchy of spying within the book, starting with the minor characters, such as the children in “the close” who also participate in spying. They spy on each other and adults and make clear assumptions on their activities. Indeed when a police man visits the close the children take it into their own hands to speculate the reason for his visit “that peeping Tom was hanging around again last night,” the fact that its children spying makes it seem mischievous and less serious.
Similarly, the game of spying is usually associated as a game that young boys would play; Frayn shows that is not always the case. Barbara Berrill is presented as a typical young girl “pulling girlish faces and making girlish gestures”. Frayn repeatedly showed her as “giggling” and described her leather bag as having a “girlishly” quality to it, but Barbara was also involved in the interfering act of spying “I always know if you’re hiding in here”. Frayn adds a new dimension to the theme of spying showing that everyone is guilty of it. Its not just children in the novel who are involved in the act of spying the adults are also seen as types of spies. Keith and Stephen both believed Keith’s parents were some sort of “spies” Keith states that his father was involved with the secret service and they both believed Mrs Hayward was “a German spy”. Although we know at the end of the novel that Keith’s mother was not in fact a German spy and we do not truly know if Keith’s father was actually involved
There are many different themes through out Michael Frayn’s novel ‘Spies’ but the theme of spying is the most important. All characters in the novel participate in some sort of spying and can be seen as a kind of ‘spy’. The theme of spying was first introduced by two of the main characters Stephen and Keith when Keith came up with the scenario of, “my mother is a German spy.” These were the words “that set everything off”. Certainly there is a clear hierarchy of spying within the book, starting with the minor characters, such as the children in “the close” who also participate in spying. They spy on each other and adults and make clear assumptions on their activities. Indeed when a police man visits the close the children take it into their own hands to speculate the reason for his visit “that peeping Tom was hanging around again last night,” the fact that its children spying makes it seem mischievous and less serious.
Similarly, the game of spying is usually associated as a game that young boys would play; Frayn shows that is not always the case. Barbara Berrill is presented as a typical young girl “pulling girlish faces and making girlish gestures”. Frayn repeatedly showed her as “giggling” and described her leather bag as having a “girlishly” quality to it, but Barbara was also involved in the interfering act of spying “I always know if you’re hiding in here”. Frayn adds a new dimension to the theme of spying showing that everyone is guilty of it. Its not just children in the novel who are involved in the act of spying the adults are also seen as types of spies. Keith and Stephen both believed Keith’s parents were some sort of “spies” Keith states that his father was involved with the secret service and they both believed Mrs Hayward was “a German spy”. Although we know at the end of the novel that Keith’s mother was not in fact a German spy and we do not truly know if Keith’s father was actually involved