Analyse how Frayn presents relationships between adults and children in Spies Essay Example

Analyse how Frayn presents relationships between adults and children in Spies Essay Example Analyse how Frayn presents relationships between adults and children in Spies Essay Analyse how Frayn presents relationships between adults and children in Spies Essay Known, he is known to be in the RAF but his exact whereabouts are unknown to the reader. Stephen catches Mrs. Hayward in the tunnel which commences the gradual uncovering of her secret. When Mr. Hayward is looking for the thermos flask, he at once suspects Keith took it and gives him an ultimatum of either giving back the thermos flask or be given beatings from him. Stephen rushes towards the tunnel and inadvertently bumps into Mrs. Hayward. She responds angrily to Stephen- why are you doing this (pg. 147), but he keeps on repeating the word Thermos. The communication gulf is epitomised through this encounter as Stephen struggles to make out a sentence but still makes Mrs. Hayward understand him. Stephen will not disobey Keith as he is the true comrade and would rather die than go against his chiefs wishes. His attitude relates back to the oath he was forced to say by Keith. As readers, we can see the absurdity of a statement such as Greens the right colour for a bicycle, just as its wrong one for a belt or a bus (pg.17).Clearly, what makes something right or wrong here is simply whether Keith or Stephen do it. We recognise and empathise with the childhood insecurity in Stephen that enables Keith to impose his own Rightness. Paradoxically, he is reluctant to do what Mrs. Hayward and Uncle Peter ask of him. This again expressively highlights the subservience of Stephen and indicates he only follows those who dominate him physically and intellectually (Keith).No adult will dominate a young innocent boy like Stephen. Furthermore, we can see the gradual metamorphosis of Stephen to an adult at the ending of the novel when Stephen decides to take rations to the man (Uncle Peter) living in the barns under the corrugated iron. His behaviour contrasts with the banging on the iron with sticks which we see earlier in the book. Stephen shows his ever-growing manhood as even though the man is sick and hidden and could not compel Stephen physically, Stephen is incapable of ignoring his innate authority as an adult. It also emphasises the fact that Spies is a bildungsroman as it shows the development in maturity of the protagonist Stephen.