Examine the presentation of the relationship between Keith and Stephen in Spies Essay Example

Examine the presentation of the relationship between Keith and Stephen in Spies Paper The relationship between Keith and Stephen is one of the central parts of the book and provides much of the dynamism. Keith and Stephen are best friends and when Keith tells him that his mother is a German Spy the two of them embark on a mission to uncover her secrets. As the story progresses we see both of the characters develop and with this their relationship with each other.At the start of the book Frayn portrays a relatively harmless and normal relationship. As they follow Mrs Hayward, the German spy, around it seems to be a childlike fantasy. The possibility of Keiths mother actually being a spy is fairly unbelievable and there is little suggestion of the secret that is later uncovered. Great plans for underground railways and overhead cableways are described but there is the admission that these plans of Keiths have not been put into effect. On page 50 Frayn presents them as a comic duo as they try and figure out the elusive x. The reader can plainly work out that the x, which is happening each month, is Mrs Haywards period. Frayn is clearly presenting the naivety of the two children to humorous effect. Stephen tries to suggest an explanation for the mysterious x but as he tries in vain he realises,Hes somehow ahead of me again, and simply biding his time to tantalise me.Keith is clearly dominant over Stephen but this is not an unusual arrangement. Stephen explains his status in the relationship in the boyhood terms of,He was the officer corps of our two man army. I was the Other Ranks and grateful to be soStephen is not bitter about the inferiority of his role because it seems natural to him. At some parts of the book Stephen even seems to think of himself as part of Keith. He talks about them as if they are a single entity: we say nothing; we mustnt let her know that we know. This is similar to deadkidsongs by Toby Litt in which, at the start of the book, the gang of boys is portrayed as one single entity which slowly breaks apart as the book progress es. Stefan admits that Keith was one of a long line of dominant figures in his life and so he seems to be a naturally subservient character. In contrast Keiths position as leader seems entirely natural because of his intellectual and imaginative superiority and social background.To understand the nature of their relationship it is important to understand the social contrasts between them. Keiths family is seen as the paragon of what every family should be. In contrast Stephens family is decidedly unsatisfactory. A similar situation exists in L.P Hartleys The Go-Between where Marcuss family is a lot richer than Leos and this creates a feeling of inferiority in Leo. A lot more is said about Keiths parents than is ever said about his own. Keiths dad punishes him and, as absurd as this may seem to the reader, Stephen sees this as the right thing for a father to do. Stephen idolises the well groomed Mrs Hayward whom his own mother, in her faded apron cannot compete with. Stephen feels an admiring jealousy at Keiths luck for having,A father in the Secret Service and a mother whos a German SpyWhereas Stephen doesnt even have one parent of any interest. Unlike the terrible connectedness of his own semidetached house Keiths house stands on its own. Stephen describes, in great detail, the ethereal qualities of Keiths house. The smell in Keiths toy room is a rightful scent; everything in Keiths house seems right. Stephens own house has scuffed armchairs and a boring savannah of a garden. They attend separate schools and wear different uniforms, Stephen remarks that they are colour coded for ease of reference. Stephen acutely feels the social divide between the two families and feels a sense of good fortune in being associated with such a family of heroic proportions. Biblical allusions are present in many of Stephens messianic descriptions of Keith, he says,In each case he uttered the word and the words became soOwing to their relationship Stephen is pushed into doing th ings he would not necessarily do. Stephen is a weak boy and is highly dependant on Keith and this is exploited by Keith. Keith seems to be the main protagonist; he tells Stephen about his mother, he makes them look in her diary and he chooses to follow her. When they go to her study Stephen voices his reservations that her journal is private but Keith has no qualms about such matters and ignores his friends comment. Stephen does not have the strength to assert any control over Keith and thus he complies with Keiths wishes. Stephen finds it hard to articulate himself and thus Keith provides what Stephen lacks. Keith seems to have somewhat of a moral deficit and thus his and Stephens relationship is a dangerous one because Stephen is easily led. He is constantly making Stephen feel inferior whether it is verbally or by a disdainful silence. Keith castigates Stephen when he discovers that he hid his face in fear of the mysterious man. Even before Keith calls him a baby Stephen anticipa tes his reaction and feel ashamed. Keiths hypocrisy is revealed later on when he hides his face in fear. Stephen has internalised Keiths view of him and a lot of what he does out of shame. He goes out at night to make one heroic deed which will cause all his weaknesses and errors to be wiped away. A similar relationship exists in Litts deadkidsongs; Andrews psychopathic agenda draws the rest of gang into criminal activities. The full potency of Keith and Stephens relationship is revealed when they attack the tramp. Stephen seems to morph in Keith and shows a sadistic pleasure in scaring the tramp,I cant wait to see the comical terror on the old mans faceStephen is mimicking Keiths attitude. The bullied has transformed into the bully. Stephen relishes the chance to assert authority upon what he perceives to be a lesser being. We can trace the origins of this conduct back up the chain of authority to Keiths father.Despite Stephens worshipping of the Haywards there is already a rift be tween his perception and the readers. He never mentions that Keiths dad is retired and that this is the reason for him always being at home. He seems to admire the fact that Mr Hayward canes Keith and criticises his father for not doing this seems absurd to the reader. Stephens perception of what is right has no real logical basis and this is revealed by phrases like,Greens the right colour for a bicycle, just as its the wrong one for a belt or a busThe reader cant help but feel sorry for Mr Wheatley who went away for a year but nobody really noticed. The extent of Stephens warped perceptions is gradually revealed throughout the book. Even relatively near the beginning Stephens belief in Keiths intellectual superiority is called into question when Keith misspells privet and secrit. Barbara Berril tells Stephen that, no-one likes him except you and refers to him as stuck-up and horrible. Gradually the image Stephen provides us of a hero is eroded to expose Keith as being just a dama ged little boy. Keiths cruelty culminates in his attack on Stephen. Keith attacks him with his own bayonet in an imitation of his fathers violence.Keith attacks Stephen because he thinks that Stephen has broken their oath. There is a very ritualistic element to their friendship which Keith takes very seriously. At the beginning Keith makes Stephen swear on the bayonet never to reveal anything and, foreshadowing Keiths attack, Keith makes him say,So cut my throat and hope to dieThis oath is another way in which Keith asserts his control over the malleable Stephen. Like many other things in the book this seemed to be just a childish game but it has dark consequences. When he thinks Stephen has broken this oath Keith feels himself losing control and cuts Stephens throat with the bayonet. Stephen realises by now that part of the reason for Keiths actions are what is happening in his house, he says,the crime hes punishing in me is not mine at all, but one thats being committed in his own house.Keith might be perceived as a lonely and abused boy exerting dominance over Stephen as some form of self validation. From the start links are drawn between Keith and his father and as the true extent of his fathers cruelty is realised so is Keiths. Keith goes from merely imitating his fathers half lidded stair and adopting affectations like old bean to outright violence. Keith makes no attempt to stand up for himself and says,My heart shrivels at the sound of his fathers tone and his fathers phrase, at my own hopelessnessThe relationship between these two young boys is the stimulus of the plot. Keith and Stephen both begin a game but find themselves flung into the dangerous adult world. Together they cross the frontier into another country altogether. At the end it seems to be Stephen who comes out of the ordeal the worse. The inferiority Stephen feels at the expense of Keith is what motivates him to uncover the secret. Frayn uses the relationship to present how appearances c an be deceiving. At the start Frayn presents us a seemingly innocent and typical relationship. They are two boys wrapped up in their own fantasy world of German spies and conspiracy. However, the relationship transmutes and as the book progresses it becomes increasingly more dangerous.