In Agents by Michael Frayn, the description of Keith as Stephen’s ‘best friend’ does not suit him nearly just as much as the ‘officer corps in [their] two man military services. Keith is incredibly obviously portrayed as manipulative, bossy, major and a bully about some situations, always the need to be in impose, always the need to ‘have anyone to be attaquer than. ‘ It is these times when we find just how little of a authentic friend Keith is to Sophie, and how this individual acts similar to his innovator than his equal.
Right at the start of the book in part 2, Stephen feels as though he features ‘good lot of money in staying Keith’s friend’ which displays just how much Stephen is happy towards Keith, to the point where he’s willing to become pushed about and led by him. During Sophie and Keith’s first interaction, Keith’s sociable standing is significantly higher than Stephen’s as he hails from a posh, impeccable house, ‘number 2 . Chollerton. The Haywards. ‘ As well as the boys are ‘socially color coded’ since Stephen would go to a general public school whilst Keith goes to a private college. It is also worth noting that Keith is most probably the way he could be due to his home life. Mister. Hayward is depicted since apathetic, formal and it has even recently been blatantly explained that this individual abuses Keith.
In the third section, as Sophie and Keith are checking out Mrs. Hayward, Keith misspells words inside their log publication multiple times. Naturally, Stephen won’t call him out and late inside the novel the moment Mrs. Hayward realizes that Keith provides misspelt ‘private’ as ‘privet’, Stephen features half a head to take responsibility for it about spare Keith the shame. This shows how low Stephen is willing to stoop for Keith, perhaps because he thinks he owes that to him.
The moment Mrs. Hayward visits Braemar and explains to Stephen that Keith is usually ‘easily led’, Stephen is left staring at her in disbelief, unable to even imagine Keith getting led by him. He wonders just how Keith manages to mislead both their very own mothers into believing that Stephen may be the leader. This may lead to sympathy toward Keith for a change rather than Sophie, as Mrs. Hayward’s words imply that Keith is pushed around at home, presumably by his father.
Keith is usually depicted as a flat out anstoß in various cases as he would not acknowledge Stephen’s bravery and frequently undermines, belittles and mocks him, such as when Stephen gives Keith the sock that he found in the tin package or the moment Stephen offers theories regarding Mrs. Hayward’s whereabouts. Keith ignores him and his ‘eyelids come down’ in disapproval to show that Stephen that his ideas don’t ought to have acknowledgement and ideas which are not Keith’s are invalid. Accommodement between Keith and his dad clearly show the same condescending sneer and arrogant expression.
Further in the novella, Keith also mocks Stephen for ‘hiding [his] deal with like a small baby’ when he sees the person near the container box. The hypocrisy of the statement lights through immediately after though whenever they hear someone approaching, and they both hide their encounter in the mud. That is the first time we see the boys while equals together with the second staying when they went back to end of trading after terrorizing the tramp, ‘neither of [them] leader, neither of [them] led. ‘ This shows that fear is the equalizing force involving the boys and it in addition shows that Stephen has now began realizing Keith’s role so now is trying to take mare like a leadership situation.
One more example of Keith’s dominant characteristics arises when he makes Stephen take an oath around the bayonet that Stephen would not tell any person otherwise Keith would destroy him. His arrogance is usually shown in how he must always take the binoculars and walk in front of Sophie and in just how Stephen comes to fear him, letting him boss him around and being happy to just end up being allowed close to Keith. This kind of causes you not only to become enraged at Keith for bossing Sophie around also for the reader to be enraged by Stephen pertaining to letting Keith push him around and for hero worshiping him.
This novella claims being about two best friends, but by the way someone is displayed Keith and Stephen’s connections, their romance and their mechanics, it is manufactured obvious that one of them is the leader as the other one is led. General, it is not possible for someone to feel no sympathy towards Stephen in his enormous misfortune in being Keith’s so-called friend.
