Point of View

The point of view of Agent Running in the field is first-person, exclusively through the eyes and emotions of Nat, the protagonist. As a servant of the British Secret Service, Nat’s perspective is dominated by the behaviors and ideologies of the service. Nat’s perspective often feels very mechanical, as he avoids describing his emotions early in the text. Nat’s perspective feels more natural and emotional as the text progresses and he detaches from total indoctrination of the Service. As this happens, the reader invests more and more emotionally with Nat. The story is mostly told through exposition, however some of the dialogue is presented paraphrased by Nat which questions his reliability.

Nat thinks very highly of himself and often draws attention to his own abilities as an agent. In the beginning, he likewise draws attention away from his deficiencies, in his work...