The Portrayal of Female Spys in John le Carré’s Call for the Dead and Alfred Hitchcock’s The Lady Vanishes

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The intricate portrayal of female spies in both John le Carré’s Call for the Dead and Alfred Hitchcock’s The Lady Vanishes help develop the complex political messages within. The ‘traditional’ profile of an attractive female character with no backstory is discarded and more untraditional characteristics are adopted. Elsa Fennan, a holocaust victim recently widowed, uses her worn appearance to deceive Smiley. Her appearance adds depth to her motives and intensifies the plot. Hitchcock delivers two vital messages through both female spies in the movie. Miss Froy, the old governess, looks more suited to make tea and tell stories rather than deliver vital wartime messages to Britain. Moreover, her portrayal adds insight into one of the messages Hitchcock was trying to send. Iris elucidates a different reversal of the classic female spy, as her personality was too self-centred. However, she abandons this fake persona and reveals her selflessness and kind heart. Her determination saves Miss Froy and the important information bound for Britain. Analysis of these characters and their divergence from the ‘traditional’ profile given to female spies exhibits buried messages.
Elsa’s worn appearance and broken mindset is crucial for her deception as a spy, but also warns of the danger of Nazi Germany and East Germany. Upon first encountering Elsa, Smiley feels sorrow looking at “her crooked little… of astonishing intensity. It was a worn face, racked and ravaged long ago”(CFD 78). Her image reflects the intensity of the horrors she faced in the Nazi concentration camps. Smiley doesn’t view Elsa as a threat, but rather a miserable widow. Although her appearance is unconventional, Elsa uses her tattered look to her advantage. Her storied appea...

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... Vanishes and Call For the Dead reveals the political messages within these two spy thrillers. The characters develop more importance as the plot wears on and their intentions revealed. Elsa is determined to help create a perfect new world while embodying the troubles of her past. Le Carré uses Elsa to demonstrate the similarity in the horrors between East Germany and Nazi Germany. Mrs. Froy helps deliver the message of unity and the importance of sticking together. Iris illustrates the risk of arrogance and the impact that selflessness can have on a situation. It is evident that Hitchcock and le Carré wanted to create complexity in the female characters they created to deliver their political ideas. These deeper meanings assure both The Lady Vanishes and Call for the Dead a place in spy-thriller history, creating complexity within characters that usually carry none.

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