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

The first 200 words of this essay...

Using page 50 as a starting point examine the presentation of the relationship between Keith and Stephen:

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 Keith's 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 Keith's 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