Spies - Theme of Childhood and Maturity

Spies - Theme of Childhood and Maturity

A central theme of Spies is the gulf between adulthood and childhood that is very difficult, if not impossible, to bridge.

Stefan looks back and recalls and recreates how it feels to be a child - he captures the naivety of childhood and also the strange mix between knowledge and ignorance. For example, Stephen knows Latin, complex maths and the exports of Canada but he can't imagine that his teenage brother might kiss a girl or that a woman whose husband is away at war might take a lover. He accepts Keith's tales of a wild ape-man and a serial murderer with unquestioning enthusiasm.

Although Stefan recalls what it feels like to be a child, there is a lot about the child's state of mind that is lost on him. He asks rhetorical questions again and again about how much the child knew, whether he noticed the inconsistencies in the stories that he was taking part in.

For Stephen, the adults may as well be a different species. He finds it…