Discuss the importance and presentation of Mr Hayward in Michael Frayn's Spies

The aforementioned confrontation between Stephen and Mr Hayward takes place in the ‘headquarters of Keith’s father’s operations’ the garage, a domain which initially seemed somewhat enticing to Stephen with its alluring smell of ‘sawdust’ and ‘machine oil’. Interestingly he described it as a ‘wonderful private kingdom’ almost in the same way that he refers to the privet as a ‘secret kingdom’ each of course providing security and a feeling of control for its occupants. It is noteworthy that ‘fear’ becomes an addition to the smell which Stephen associated with the garage earlier on, perhaps because he has now entered the ‘kingdom’ and it is his own terror of which he is aware. Within the garage there seems to be a struggle in the balance of power, Mr Hayward speaks in his usual clipped manner with the ‘imperative overtones’ Stephen earlier identified, using one of his favoured terms to address the boy as ‘old fellow’ and his truncated syntax ensures that his words become commands: ‘Word of advice’ ‘Silly games. Don’t play them’. He continues with idioms from the 1940s of ‘awful asses’ and ‘let’s pretend’ and we now understand perhaps  why we have previously heard very little from this character, Mr Hayward clearly has a very poor relationship with verbal communication which would certainly explain his need to rule his household with fear and violence. The struggle appears to be lost when the narration becomes equally disjointed and abrupt: ‘I nod again. There’s nothing else I can do’ ‘The basket. We’ve got there.’ Indeed, Stephen does have to hand over the basket, but only after he has forced Mr Hayward onto his terms and says ‘Please, in a strange, small urgent, voice’. And so each character has their own piece of victory in this battle, with Mr Hayward bringing out ‘the bravest and most shocking thing’ Stephen has done in his entire life, promptly juxtaposed with the ‘weakest’ and ‘most cowardly’.

Handing over the basket to Mr Hayward marks an extremely important turning point in the relationship between Ted and his wife. We were already subtly aware of the brutalities that take place within the Hayward’s household principally the caning of Keith. But we have only surmised as to the control Mr Hayward asserts over his wife. This becomes highly evident as she is later observed being followed and scrutinised by her husband and Stephen vocalises his understanding of the violence when he notes the significance of ‘why his mother, in the heat of summer, has taken to wearing that cravat  pinned high around her neck’. More disturbing still he affirms he ‘realise[s] where [Keith] learnt to practice this particular form of torture with this particular instrument’ referring of course to the symbolic ‘bayonet’ or rather the simple ‘carving knife’. This symbol provides a link and reminder of Mr Hayward’s role in the war as Keith earlier claimed his father had ‘killed five Germans’ with that bayonet, a brutality which of course is never confirmed but easily believed. We might construe that his absence from the war is a failing in itself and the cause of such control and violence within his own house, a substitute perhaps for the war of which he yearns to be part.

The Mr Hayward we regard at the end of this novel is quite different from the ‘lifeless’ ‘grey’ ‘fourth figure’ Stephen describes from the photographs in the Hayward’s house, his air of congeniality of course concealing the brutality which all have come to fear. His presence in the novel is crucial to exploit the concept of falsity of appearances and to provide a contrast with the other men Uncle Peter and Mr Wheatley whose qualities are accentuated to the full with the exposure of Mr Hayward’s flaws. And more importantly his exposure is achieved in Stephen’s growing maturity and understanding of the sometimes ‘imperfect’ nature of the world.