The Thirty-Nine Steps

comment on point of view

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The narrative is unfolded in first-person, coming directly from the protagonist Richard Hannay himself. Though Hannay is, on the surface, calm under pressure and largely undaunted by his circumstances, this first-person approach provides the reader access to Hannay's interiority. As a contrast to his hard exterior, inwardly Hannay reveals doubts, fears, pain, and thought processes that would be difficult or impossible to present otherwise. In this way, Hannay has a rich inner life that separates him from some later spy heroes, such as James Bond.