The Recruit

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of animal cruelty.

James is the protagonist and point-of-view character of The Recruit. In appearance, James is nondescript, befitting how he is chosen to be a spy, and throughout training, he becomes more physically fit than he’s ever been, which both helps him gain confidence and contributes to his ego. After growing up in a situation where little was expected of him and no one cared what he did, James’s first impulse is to complain about things he doesn’t like, which causes his friend Kyle to describe him as “a spoiled brat and a total whiner” (220). Like James’s physical transformation, his emotional journey increases his confidence and his willingness to take on responsibility, and this is symbolized by his promotion to senior agent at the end of the book.

James’s character arc represents What It Means to Be Afraid, primarily through his relationship with swimming. At the beginning of the book, James’s fear of the water is rooted in the childhood trauma of nearly drowning, and as a result, he has avoided water for years. Once he takes his place at

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