There are many mystery books all around the world. The Thirty-Nine Steps by John Butchard is a very popular one amongst them. This book talks about a guy called Hannay, and his journey to the 39 steps. It starts when he meets a guy called Scudder, who faked his death. Hannay offered for Scudder to stay, but then Scudder gets killed by Germans. Since Scudder was killed in Hannay’s flat, the police suspected him. He was on the run, and he nearly gets in a car crash with a guy called Harry. Harry is very nice and lends Hannay new clothes and a place to stay in. Hannay knows he has to leave, so he hides himself in an apartment. There were Germans in the apartment, so he had to disguise himself. Then, Hannay had to go to another place to stay, so he went to a hotel. But the owner of the hotel was his enemy, so Hannay was locked in a storage room. Hannay escaped with a few injuries, and he runs into Harry’s uncle. His name is Walter. Together, they successfully find what was written in Scudder’s notebook: The 39 Steps, and then Hannay joined the Army.
In this story, there are many intriguing events that occur. One of the best plots is when Scudder fakes his death, but then actually gets killed. This is very ironic as well, since he was basically pretending to be dead, then actually is dead. This happens in the beginning, and it causes many things to happen. For example, the police blamed Hannay for killing Scudder, and he had to run away. This is very fascinating, because faking a death usually works out well, but in Scudder’s case, it wasn’t very good. Since Scudder was basically dead to the public, it is ironic that he is actually dead to everyone, including Hannay. But the most ironic part of all, is that Scudder went through so much trouble to ensure his safety, but still ends up dying. This is a crucial part of the story since it is the single cause of all the other events to unfold, such as how the police were after him and he met many nice people. This is a great part of the story since it is so bizarre.
Since Scudder dies, what will happen to Hannay? A part of Scudder’s death is foreshadowing Hannay’s possible future. His death will make Hannay’s life turn downwards. When he dies in Hannay’s flat, Hannay is now ‘enemies’ with the police. He is on wanted posters and is disliked by the public. This is bad for him since he can’t go anywhere without being told that he would be reported to the police. Also, he is now enemies with the German spies, since Scudder is their enemy and Hannay is Scudder’s friend. Other than foreshadowing, there is paradox. A paradox is an absurd or self-contradictory statement or proposition that when it’s investigated or explained could be true. In the story, the paradox is that Scudder says to everyone that he is dead, which is basically an absurd statement. But it turns out to be true, since he actually then got killed. Foreshadowing and Paradox are explanations of Scudder’s death.
Scudder’s death got Hannay to the 39 steps. Why? Because since he died, Hannay found his notebook, and in the notebook, there were hints to the 39 steps. The 39 steps are important because it’s the title, and in real life, there is actually this thing called the 39 steps. The logic behind this is that Hannay only found his notebook after he died. And because of this notebook, he got to the 39 steps. Scudder’s death is really significant, but so is the notebook. The notebook sort of got Hannay into a difficult yet good situation. He did get to the 39 steps, and he did get a good ending, but he also went through great lengths to do so. He had to escape German spies since he is friends with Scudder, and he knows their evil plan. Not only that, but he also has to keep the notebook a secret from most people, since he is a target of the police. This shows that the notebook is essential for Hannay to succeed in his mission.
This book proves that after hard moments, life will get better. It is shown through the book by Hannay’s journey. This part of the book was a very exciting plot since it is super ironic, and it is hilarious that Scudder went through all that trouble for protection only to be killed right afterwards. It is also really cool that Scudder’s death impacted the whole story and made it take a big turn. The plot changed most things in the story and made many more events occur. I really liked it since it was an understandable part in the story and, when read, can be laughed at or pitied. It is also interesting to read and a really cool part of the book. I would recommend the 39 steps to readers who like adventure novels. In my opinion, Scudder dying will be one of the favourite plots of all the readers.
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