The novel ‘The Thirty-Nine Steps’ published in 1915 by John Buchan, talks about a man named Richard Hannay on vacation in London in 1914 who goes on a breathtaking adventure he has never experienced before. The story starts off with Hannay first meeting Franklin P. Scudder, a freelance spy, who is soon murdered in Hannay’s own apartment. Because Scudder died in Hannay’s apartment, most think that it was him that murdered Scudder. From a small notebook that Scudder kept, he learned about a German organization called the Black Stone who is planning an assassination and trying to steal top-secret information to start a war across Europe. While escaping from the Black Stone and police, he meets a highly ranked agent named Sir Walter Bullivant, who works for the Foreign office, and tells him about the plot. But, as it turned out, the assassination had already occurred. Hannay was soon invited to a meeting where he recognized one of the occupants as a Black Stone pursuer trying to steal information. With the clues from the notebook, they travel to the mysterious ‘39 Steps’ where they catch German spies. In the end, Hannay also joined the British Army to fight in World War I.
Although there are always problems and risks coming up every now and then, the most important part is to know the solution and how to solve it in a way one can do so. No matter the level or difficulty of the risk, as long as one is devoted to getting out of it, they will eventually succeed in solving the difficulties. In the book, Hannay faced countless problems, like being chased by spies and police, facing hunger and thirst, being captured, and most importantly, needing to break the cipher. Meanwhile, the skills Hannay possesses are extraordinarily useful. He knows to have quick reactions and negotiation skills where he was able to convince the innkeeper, workman, and the milkman to help him. Hannay also possessed incredible amounts of knowledge and athleticism, he was able to make a bomb, and even break a cipher, while he was also able to run many miles on foot. One of the most important aspects that helped Hannay succeed was his ability to disguise, where he was able to fool his pursuers with his appearance, and behavior and thoughts. Problems are not only challenges that can cause trouble, it can also be a learning experience for most. When facing major challenges, they can also learn how to use different skills to solve the problems, like having quick reactions, good negotiation skills, knowledge, athleticism, and disguise. Plus, not everyone has the exact same strengths; if one comes up with different problems, just learn to do them one by one with the method one prefers. There are always problems and risks facing one, both major and minor, but what really matters is how one solves the problems and how they react to it.
Bravery and courage is not something everyone can have easily, where it requires lots of skill and a risk-taking mind to do so. Being brave isn 't just about having courage, it is about being able to cut through fear standing in one’s path. Sometimes, bravery and courage isn’t even about one’s fear, it’s about standing up to oneself. In the book, Hannay was able to accept the risks without hesitation. He just tried to find a way through them and continued on, and simply didn’t really think about them too much. Running against the police and confronting the Black Stone, despite how dangerous it is, since the police have vehicles like cars, and the Black Stone had many people to chase him down, while Hannay only had himself. There were also major challenges like jumping off the train and blowing up the house. There was a very likely chance that he could die, and most of all, he didn’t have much experience with any of them before. Another aspect that helped Hannay succeed was how he didn’t give up no matter what condition he was in. Although he was badly injured from blowing up the house, he still continued on. Patriotism also inspired him to be courageous, like putting his country's safety before his own, and joining the army. Bravery and courage are very difficult to earn. It is only available if one is really devoted to something or is extremely fearless and not afraid of messing up, and most importantly, very optimistic and positive, which helps one overcome their negativity, which can lead to fear. Although courage usually leads to bravery, they can still be pretty much the same thing; as long as one is brave, they are courageous. Bravery and courage requires lots of fearlessness and risk-taker thoughts, but it is still possible if one tries hard enough to.
Patriotism and heroism usually describe important figures or superheroes, but it can still be applied to anyone that loves their country enough to be a hero and sacrifice themselves for their country. Patriotism is generally more towards how one acts towards their own country, while heroism just refers to a great act of any kind that makes them stand out. In the book, Hannay is a both patriotic and heroic figure. He was responsible for his country and society, and was ready to sacrifice for his nation. In the end, when he joined the British army to fight in WWI, he was patriotic, and willing to sacrifice his life for the country. In that way, he was also a hero. Another aspect that made him heroic and patriotic was to give up his luxury life to run around, be chased, wrongly accused, injured, etc. Hannay could have (and would have) continued his luxury and normal life, where he didn’t have to deal with dangers like being caught, being killed, and jailed. Also, not only does Hannay have to face the risks, he also has to prepare and be ready for whatever it might bring him. Patriotism only happens when one is truly willing to sacrifice themselves for their country, like in wars, and especially putting their countries safety in front. Most times, when one thinks about heroes, they think about fictional heroes, like James Bond, Ethan Hunt, and characters in the Avengers, who all do great things to make them heroes. The heroes are made to encourage others, and influence them to do great things. Patriotism and heroism can have many different causes and influences, but one thing that makes them unique is the ability to stand through fear and have outstanding results.
The ability to solve problems and risks, bravery and courage, and patriotism and heroism are all important aspects of what Hannay has in the book ‘The Thirty-Nine Steps’. Despite the amount of problems Hannay faced, he was still able to solve all of them. He had quick reactions and negotiation skills, which helped him convince the innkeeper, workman, and milkman. He also had lots of knowledge, which helped him be able to blow up the house and finally break the cipher, along with his athleticism which allowed him to run many miles on foot. Finally, Hannay was able to disguise really well, which helped him fool many people since he could copy their appearance and thoughts and behavior. Bravery and courage was also a major trait that Hannay possessed. He was able to sacrifice himself and put his country’s safety before his, outrun the police, join the army, blow up the house, jump off the train, and many more. He was able to overcome the fear, and eventually succeeded. Hannay’s patriotism als helped him become a hero, where he gave up his luxury life to run away, be falsely accused, injured, and fight in a war. He was also responsible for his country, and did what he had to.
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