Ways Hartley and Frayn present Childhood in The Go-Between and Spies Es

In the Go-Between, Hartley presents the world of children and childhood through the first person narrative (from the viewpoints of the young and old Leo), Leo’s vivid imagination, the themes of growing up and self-awareness, the conflict between the child and adult world, and the portrayal of Leo as a school boy. Firstly, the writer portrays the world of children through the first person narrative which encapsulates young Leo’s fresh, spontaneous optimism and hope towards the dawning of a new era, ‘My dreams for the twentieth century, and for myself, were coming true’(Chapter 1. p. 28). Therefore, this device allows the reader direct access to the intensity yet simplicity of a child’s point of view and enhances Leo’s personal feelings of pure elation. Furthermore, we can see that Leo possesses a innocent sense of expectation as he is conveyed as embarking upon his journey in life with the utmost confidence, ‘For the first time I felt that I was someone’ (Chapter 1. p.25). Subsequently, this creates a child-like tone of adventure as Leo is described as a somewhat inexperienced and vivacious boy. In addition, the narrator sums up his younger self in his own words: ‘resilience†¦resourcefulness†¦adaptability†¦instinctive symp athy with human nature†¦those were the qualities I possessed in 1900’ (Prologue. p. 19). Thus, adolescent Leo is open to life and all its possibilities for success. However, the reader can see that the novelist is setting the scene for Leo’s expectations to be thwarted and even the older Leo recognizes that he was soaring too high, as illustrated by the reference to the legend of Icarus, ‘You flew too near to the sun, and you were scorched’ (Chapter 1. p. 28). It can also be seen that the older Leo is prep... ...sual atmosphere created by the heat contributes to Leo’s feeling that the world in his imagination has more reality than everyday life. In addition, the weather acts as a metaphor for events which Leo cannot control, ‘It all began with the weather defying me’ (Chapter 1. p. 39) and comes to symbolize the increasing emotional intensity of a young child’s involvement in the adult world, ‘All the heat of the afternoon seemed to be concentrated where we stood†¦It made me uncomfortable’ (Chapter 7. P. 82-83). This creates a mood of intense anticipation and suspense as the heat reflects how events are escalating out of control. Furthermore, the writer portrays the world of children through Leo and Marcus’s daily ritual of visiting the thermometer to track record temperatures as it adds to the mood of innocent expectation and conveys the simplicity of childhood pursuits.