Report on The Thirty-Nine Steps 三十九级台阶 五百字英文读后感

Report on The Thirty-Nine Steps

20131201141063 2013-02 毛小兰

I would like to introduce the book The Thirty-Nine Steps to you. It is absolutely an exciting thriller about a man on the run who finally wins in the end. The book written by John Buchan was published in October In 1915.

The Thirty-Nine Steps is John Buchan’s first adventure book as he wrote when he was ill in bed, which he described it as a “shocker”. The book got it name when the author found that his daughter was counting the steps of the stairs.

During May and June 1914, when war was evident in Europe, Hannay’s guest, who is an agent, is murdered in his house so Hannay go on his journey to run away from the police and the enemies. During the running, he seeks help from people with his intelligence and disguised himself as a roadman to escape the enemies’ tracking. Unfortunately, he goes into the enemy Black Stone’s place and is jailed. Using his wisdom again, he does escape and meets the foreign officer Walter Bullivant and tries hard to decode the secret of “thirty nine steps”. Finally, Hannay uncovers Black Stone’s scheme and gets the gang caught, successfully protecting his country.

The Thirty-Nine Steps tells a story about how a man living a well-being but monotonous life is abruptly involved in a country secrets’ chasing battle between Britain and Germany. Being a man-on-the-run, the hero, Richard Hannay makes great efforts to escape the police and enemies and helps his

country Britain uncover the German agents’ schemes.

When I was reading this book, I was much impressed by Hannay’s adventurous spirits. From the very beginning of the novel, I learn that Hannay is not definitely that kind of person who would just satisfy with his dull life in the city. Interestingly, this can be perceivable through his disappointed feeling when he was “out of the game” when he finally earn his freedom again. He just knew from his instinct that he must do something though he knows he is just an ordinary person who does not have the brilliant abilities of a state agent like Peter or Scudder does. However, having witnessed all his valiant actions during his running journey, I believe this man can definitely make it. You see, you may not think it possible before you do it, but when something really pushes your back to get you join the battle, you would summon up all your courage to believe yourself because you cannot turn to anyone for help. Maybe Hannay is really just no different from the ordinary citizen in terms of the affairs related to a country’s confidential information. However, as I see it, he who has courage to believe himself, he who has a greater chance to survive, which I believe Mr. Hannay also holds the same belief with me. Imaging that if Hannay is a coward who hesitates his steps when the cops and the vile enemies are frantically chasing him, he would have already be dead meat.

As I learn from Hannay, though we all just human, we need faith and believe ourselves or not every day will be a gloomy day stuck with muddy

affairs.