Paradoxes In Spies By John Fayn

In the novel “Spies”, although Frayn presents the idea of knowledge through Stefan’s estrangement from his past self, it is arguable that the paradoxical questioning of the nature of knowledge more effectively questions the meaning of knowledge. By using rhetorical questions and juxtaposing ideas, Frayn gives the reader a philosophical and contradictory idea of what knowledge is, showing a complexity that the reader would not otherwise notice.
In the extract, Frayn presents the idea of knowledge through the use of paradoxes and contradicting ideas. While Stefan wonders about whether or not Stephen still thought Mrs. Hayward was a spy, he concludes that Stephen “neither thought she was nor didn’t think she was”. The use of juxtaposing ideas …show more content…
As Stefan questions what Stephen actually understood, he illustrates the distinction between knowledge and understanding by saying that when he looks at Geraniums, he doesn’t think “about the biological, chemical, and molecular that lie behind the flaunting scarlet, at that “[he’s] got the general story: geraniums in a tub”. Despite being an exaggeration, this example explains how somethings are just naturally accepted by the general populace and that having the knowledge of something does not necessarily mean that one thoroughly understands the deeper implications of it. This effect is enhanced by the use of the rhetorical question: “What did I understand” which gets the reader to think about their own understanding. Alternatively, it can be seen as Stefan trying to justify Stephen for not further questioning the things that he was told by Keith at the start of the novel. This is because – much like the reader – the thought that there might be something further may have never crossed his mind, explaining that the reason he never asked “who [Mr. Gort] murdered and why” is the same as the reason he never asked what his father was doing as “he vanished in the …show more content…
The nature of knowledge is shown through the differentiation of knowledge and understanding but can also be implied through Stefan’s distancing of his former self. Arguably, the most important technique is the use of rhetorical questions as is shows how distant Stefan is from Stephen and also gets the reader to try and guess Stephen’s thought process along with Stefan. While I would argue that Frayn is successful in demonstrating knowledge as a complex concept through philosophical and paradoxical ideas, it could have been more effective to incorporate what Stefan thinks Keith had thought at the time as he is often used as the symbol of knowledge for