Crying Monster: The Personal and the Political in Espionage Fiction

Abstract

Across espionage fiction there is a constant tension between personal and political values. In the works of John Le Carré, espionage, as a manifestation of political values, invades the personal lives of spies and their associates, and eventually totally replaces their personal identities with operational, utilitarian ones. For Le Carré, espionage diminishes personal well-being of its subjects, thereby destroying the values that it is supposed to protect. In lying and deceiving to defeat a perceived monstrous opponent, the deceiver becomes monstrous themself. The works of Muriel Spark and James Robertson inform on this account and suggest that victims of political pressures have the option to disengage with them and focus on their personal values, thereby avoiding the monstrous transformation. The paper concludes that these three works in tandem warn readers that many dominant institutions exacerbate internal conflicts, and invite individuals to forgo their humanity in pursuit of a perceived greater good. However, these works also show us how focusing on personal values can escape the political sphere and preserve our personal identities. The greatest danger of a monster is that, in our fear of it, we may forget what makes us human.