Fleming improved his female characters in successive novels. Vesper Lynd, the heroine of CASINO ROYALE, is a bit two-dimensional; but this is rectified in the second novel, LIVE AND LET DIE, by Solitaire and her involvement with the supernatural. Tatiana Romanova has political ideals for which she is fighting. Honeychile Rider is a nature-girl by choice. Tracy di Vicenzo is a woman running from her life, as the daughter of a rich gangster. And Vivienne Michel, the narrator of THE SPY WHO LOVED ME, is determined to make it on her own in America. Vivienne is perhaps Fleming's most successful female creation. In this experimental book, the reader is placed inside the heroine's head for a change. Thus, one is able to examine James Bond objectively from a female point of view.
It should also be noted here that James Bond does not always get the girl at the end of each adventure. In MOONRAKER, heroine Gala Brand is actually engaged to another man, and she walks off into the distance with him rather than Bond. In "The Hildebrand Rarity," one of the five short stories from FOR YOUR EYES ONLY, Bond helps Liz Krest with no intention of becoming involved with her. And Tilly Masterson, with whom Bond joins forces in GOLDFINGER, is a Lesbian and will have nothing to do with Bond physically.
But most important, the Bond-girl is essential to the plot. She is never an accessory to the action (as she is sometimes in the films), but always an integral part of the story. The Bond-girl is second only to the villain in the full realization of a James Bond novel.
The Bond-villain
Bond's enemies are usually physically grotesque and exhibit a particularly nasty penchant for sadism. Yet they are often quite intelligent and some border on genius. The Bond-villain is superhuman in terms of Evil as Bond is superhuman in terms of Good. Only thrice does the Bond villain fall short of this standard: Scaramanga in THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN, the Spang brothers in DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER, and the two hoods in THE SPY WHO LOVED ME. The major villains (Ernst Stavro Blofeld, Doctor No, Auric Goldfinger, Mr. Big, Hugo Drax, etc.) are intent on causing a global incident (blackmailing Western powers with stolen atomic bombs; wrecking the U.S. missile program; robbing Fort Knox; financing the Communist spy network in America). These men want to be great criminals. Mr. Big tells Bond that he will be "the first great Negro criminal." Blofeld tells Bond, "I have one of the greatest brains in the world." It is this megalomania that unites the Bond villains into a common group. Amis makes the point that each villain Bond scene is like a father/bad boy scene, in which the father calmly chastises the bad boy for some wrong doing—and then proceeds to apply the belt.
Physically, the villain is almost always over six feet or under five-foot-five. He's usually overweight. The villain's eyes are blue or black. Two major adversaries, Le Chiffre and Blofeld, have pupils which are entirely surrounded by the whites of their eyes. Some villains depend on specific props: Dr. No's mechanical pincers, Rosa Klebb's poisoned knitting needles, Le Chiffre's benzedrine inhaler, and Blofeld's suit of armor (in YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE). And finally, as Amis again notes, there is sometimes a "glint of red" in the villain's eyes.
Ernst Stavro Blofeld is Bond's archenemy. Appearing in three of the novels, he perpetrates evil of such magnitude (even murdering Bond's wife in ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE) that he seems a devil incarnate. Blofeld changes his appearance and methods in each of the three books; therefore, it is difficult to know him as a complete character. Both Hugo Drax (MOONRAKER) and Auric Goldfinger (GOLDFINGER) are certainly more completely drawn. With these two adversaries, Fleming typified the essential Bond-villain.
M
Aside from Bond, the character who appears most frequently in the series is, of course, James Bond's chief, Admiral Sir Miles Messervy, known only as "M." (M's real name is not revealed until THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN. Furthermore, Fleming was never consistent about punctuating the initial "M"—sometimes a period followed the initial, and sometimes not.)
M is most likely based on Ian Fleming's real commanding officer in Naval Intelligence during World War II, Rear Admiral John H. Godfrey. But, as John Pearson speculates, it is also possible that, since as a boy Fleming would call his mother M, much of Eve Fleming may be behind the demanding old autocrat.
M is a crusty codger getting on in years. Several times Fleming refers to the admiral's "damnably clear grey eyes" inside a "weather-beaten face." As the head of the Secret Service, M earns five thousand pounds a year, plus the use of an old Rolls-Royce and driver. In addition, M receives perhaps fifteen hundred pounds Naval pay (as a vice-admiral on the retired list). This meager salary leaves M with just enough money to afford a beautiful, small Regency manor house on the edge of Windsor Forest, affectionately called Quarterdeck. The front door holds the clapper of the brass ship's bell of "some former H.M.S. Repulse, the last of whose line, a battle cruiser, had been M's final seagoing assignment." Quarterdeck was looked after by M's former Chief Petty Officer, Hammond, and his wife, until their tragic deaths in COLONEL SUN.
The only clue to M's personal life is that his "stock bachelor hobby" is painting in water colors. Flowers are the only subjects that he paints.
The Admiral's familiar office is guarded by the faith-flit Miss Moneypenny. Entrance to the office is gained by waiting until the green light above the door pops on (Fleming was also inconsistent with the color of this light—sometimes it's blue or red).
M can be difficult to work for. As Kingsley Amis notes in The James Bond Dossier:
His demeanor or voice is described as abrupt, angry (3 times), brutal, cold (7 times), curt, dry (5), frosty (2), gruff (7), hard (3), impatient (7), irritable (2), moody, severe, sharp (2), short (4), sour (2), stem and testy (5), which divides out as an irascibility index of just under 4.6 per book.
(Kinglsey Amis, The James Bond Dossier, Chapter 7)
M also has many idiosyncrasies as far as the Service goes:
M had certain bees in his bonnet. They were famous in the Service, and M knew they were. But that did not mean that he would allow them to stop buzzing. There were queen bees, like the misuse of the Service, and the search for true as distinct from wishful intelligence, and there were worker bees. These included such idiosyncrasies as not employing men with beards, or those who were completely bilingual, instantly dismissing men who tried to bring pressure to bear on him through family relationships with members of the Cabinet, mistrusting men or women who were too "dressy," and those who called him "sir" off-duty; and having an exaggerated faith in Scotsmen. But M was ironically conscious of his obsessions, as, thought Bond, a Churchill or a Montgomery was about his. He never minded his bluff, as it partly was, being called on any of them.
("Risico," FOR YOUR EYES ONLY)
He especially does not like the Service getting involved with drugs—he feels that's the territory of the Special Branch of Scotland Yard. In the short story, "Risico," M testily sends Bond on an assignment involving drug traffic into England. He curtly hands Bond the file on the case, and with almost no briefing, sends Bond on his way. (He usually at least gives Bond a few minutes of his time to explain the case.)
At one point in THUNDERBALL, M admits to Bond that he thinks the agent is "reliable" but almost never shows any more approval of Bond's work for the Service. He allows Bond to conduct the Service's business in almost any way the agent chooses, but doesn't always approve of Bond's methods. When Bond reveals his plan to play golf with Goldfinger in order to spy on him, M's response is:
"Fine way for one of my top men to spend his time." The sarcasm in M's voice was weary, resigned. "All right. Go ahead. But if what you say is right, you'd better see that you beat him."
(GOLDFINGER, Chapter 7)
M doesn't approve of Bond's womanizing, either. In FROM RUSSIA, WITH LOVE, before M reveals that a Russian girl named Tatiana Romanova is in love with Bond, he asks the agent about his relationship with Tiffany Case. Bond replies that Tiffany has gone back to the states and will probably marry a Marine Corps major she met.
M gave one of the brief smiles that lit up his eyes more
than his mouth. "I'm sorry if it went wrong, James," he said. There was no sympathy in his voice. He disapproved of Bond's "womanizing," as he called it to himself, while recognizing that his prejudice was the relic of a Victorian upbringing. But, as Bond's chief, the last thing he wanted was for Bond to be permanently tied to one woman's skirts. "Perhaps it's for the best. Doesn't do to get mixed up with neurotic women in this business. They hang on your gun-arm, if you know what I mean. Forgive me for asking about it."
(FROM RUSSIA, WITH LOVE, Chapter 12)
The reader will always know something suspicious is up when M addresses Bond as "James" rather than "007." It usually means there is business coming up that is non-Service oriented. In MOONRAKER, M asks Bond to do a personal favor for him: accompany M to Blades Club and determine if Hugo Drax is really a cheat at cards. Bond is only too happy to do so. In the short story, "For Your Eyes Only," M more or less persuades Bond to volunteer to avenge the deaths of a pair of M's personal friends. Fleming reveals a different side of M in this story. The problem of the Hayelocks' murder troubles M a great deal, and he feels guilty about involving the Service in the business. He mysteriously asks Bond, "James, has it ever occurred to you that every man in the fleet knows what to do except the commanding admiral?" Bond replies that he supposes "it's the same as saying that supreme command is the loneliest post there is."
M jerked his pipe sideways. "Same sort of idea. Someone's got to be tough. Someone's got to decide in the end. If you send a wavering signal to the Admiralty you deserve to be put on the beach. Some people are religious—pass the decision on to God." M's eyes were defensive. "I used to try that sometimes in the Service, but He always passed the buck back again—told me to get on and make up my own mind. Good for one, I suppose, but tough. Trouble is, very few people keep tough after about forty. They've been knocked about by life—had troubles, tragedies, illnesses. These things soften you up."
("For Your Eyes Only," FOR YOUR EYES ONLY)
When Bond attempts to relieve M's worries by saying that he accepts unpleasant assignments because he assumes the cause is just, M tells him:
"Dammit." M's eyes glittered impatiently. "That's just what I mean! You rely on me. You won't take any damned responsibility yourself." He thrust the stem of his pipe toward his chest. "I'm the one who has to do that. I'm the one who has to decide if a thing is right or not." The anger died out of his eyes. The grim mouth bent sourly. He said gloomily, "Oh, well, I suppose it's what I'm paid for. Somebody's got to drive the bloody train." M put his pipe back in his mouth and drew on it deeply to relieve his feelings.
Now Bond felt sorry for M. He had never before heard M use as strong a word as "bloody." Nor had M ever given a member of his staff any hint that he felt the weight of the burden he was carrying and had carried ever since he had thrown up the certain prospect of becoming Fifth Sea Lord in order to take over the Secret Service.
("For Your Eyes Only," FOR YOUR EYES ONLY)
More of the weight on M's shoulders is revealed in THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN when it is learned that his predecessor as the head of the Secret Service was assassinated by one of his own men in the Universal Export office. As a result of this, M is protected by a bulletproof plate which falls from a slit in the ceiling at the touch of a button. The admiral, then, must constantly be on his guard at the office—which may explain his usual businesslike and rather stiff manner in dealing with employees.
The best glimpse of M at his most vulnerable appears in COLONEL SUN. Here, M is kidnapped and drugged by a terrorist group. Bond sees him once at the beginning of the novel. The admiral is under the drug's influence and appears zombielike and helpless. Toward the end of the book, Bond himself is captured by the terrorists and is placed in the same room with M. M has been tortured, suffering burns on his chest. The episode again reveals the human side of M as he is forced to deal with the violence of Bond's work on the same level as his top agent.
Felix Leiter
Bond's ally in six of the Fleming novels is the American CIA agent from Texas, Felix Leiter. After Leiter loses a right arm and a leg to a shark in LIVE AND LET DIE, the CIA lets him go; however, he finds work with Pinkerton's Detective Agency. Leiter remains with Pinkerton's until THUNDERBALL, in which Allen Dulles (the CIA chief) puts Leiter on the reserve force. Leiter is again placed on the reserves in THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN.
Leiter, when Bond meets him in CASINO ROYALE, is about thirty-five. He is tall and thin, and wears his clothes "loosely from his shoulders like Frank Sinatra." Although his movements and speech are slow, Bond gets the feeling that there is plenty of speed and strength in Leiter, and that he would be a "tough and cruel fighter." Fleming goes on to describe him:
As he sat hunched over the table, he seemed to have some of the jackknife quality of a falcon. There was this impression also in his face, in the sharpness of his chin and cheekbones and the wide wry mouth. His grey eyes had a feline slant which was increased by his habit of screwing them up against the smoke of the Chesterfields which he tapped out of the pack in a chain. The permanent wrinkles which this habit had etched at the corners gave the impression that he smiled more with his eyes than with his mouth. A mop of straw-coloured hair lent his face a boyish look which closer examination contradicted.
(CASINO ROYALE, Chapter 7)
Bond also reflects that "good Americans were fine people and that most of them seemed to come from Texas."
One of the ties between the Englishman and the American may be that they enjoy being "barroom rivals." There is almost always an obligatory scene in which the two visit a bar and drink themselves silly. In CASINO ROYALE, Bond educates Leiter on the making of a "real" martini, and Leiter remembers the formula in subsequent novels. In THUNDERBALL, Leiter seems to have studied martinis thoroughly, for he, in turn, educates a barman in a Nassau hotel on the ingredients of a real martini. Leiter knows when he's being had; the martinis at the hotel are served with inadequate portions of liquor. Leiter explains to the barman:
". . . here's one who's dry behind the ears. A good barman should learn to be able to recognize the serious drinker from the status-seeker who wants just to be seen in your fine bar."
(THUNDERBALL, Chapter 14)
Kingsley Amis, in The James Bond Dossier, seems to think that Leiter has no personality. But Leiter's personality is clearly revealed in his manner of speech, the subjects about which he speaks, as well as through several of the character's idiosyncrasies. For instance, Leiter is a jazz fan, and he escapes a nasty scrape in LIVE AND LET DIE by "arguing the finer points of jazz" with his black captor. Leiter tells Bond many anecdotes about America while giving him guided tours of New York, Saratoga, or Florida. He and Bond have a good laugh at the "old folks" of St Petersburg, and they take pleasure in complaining about the commercialism of the Bahamas' hotels.
Most important, though, is the fact that Leiter reinforces the friendship theme running through the series. The bond between the two men is extremely heartfelt Felix Leiter, of all of Bond's allies, brings to the series a warmth and joviality which is missing most of the time.
Among the other Bond allies appearing in the novels are Rend Mathis (twice), Quarrel (twice), Darko Kerim, Marc-Ange Draco, Tiger Tanaka, and Niko Litsas. All of these allies not only serve some plot function, but emphasize the friendship theme.
OTHER CHARACTERS
Other recurring characters include Bond's secretary, Loelia Ponsonby, until she runs off and marries. Bond insists on calling her Lil because he knows she hates it; but he enjoys having what he considers "a beautiful secretary." Miss Ponsonby is "tall and dark with a reserved, unbroken beauty to which the war and five years in the Service had lent a touch of sternness." Loelia mothers Bond, as well as the two other members of the Double-0 section, worrying herself to death when they are in danger. By the time of ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE, Loelia has married a rich member of the Baltic Exchange and is replaced by the very attractive Mary Goodnight (who also becomes the Bond-girl of THE M
AN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN). Miss Goodnight begins her role in the series with "blue black" hair, and ends it as a blond.
Miss Moneypenny is another familiar character, though not as much is made of her in the novels as in the films. Moneypenny, it is said, has a secret desire for Bond and "dreams hopelessly" about him. But she never does anything about it She is much more overt about her affection in the films. Moneypenny is also best friends with Loelia Ponsonby, and they share the office gossip. In MOONRAKER, both women are caught wearing the same style blouse on the same day!
Bill Tanner, M's Chief of Staff, is mentioned sporadically through the novels, but becomes a more substantial entity in YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE, THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN, and COLONEL SUN. Tanner is "about Bond's age" and supposedly is Bond's "best friend in the Service." There is no corroboration of this beyond the fact that the two men are always making references to having lunch together. At the beginning of COLONEL SUN, though, they are playing golf together and have drinks at the club house afterwards. Tanner seems to share Bond's feelings about M, and the pair usually cracks jokes behind the old man's back. (It is also interesting to note that Tanner is only referred to as "Bill" or "Chief of Staff" until YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE, in which we learn his last name.)
Sir James Molony is a famous neurologist assigned to handle cases in the Service. He is called to look after Bond a few times, and is responsible for rehabilitating the agent after he is almost killed by Rosa Klebb's poison-tipped shoe; nursing Bond through depression after the death of Tracy; and "de-brainwashing" 007 after the assassination attempt on M. Molony seems to become more important with each successive appearance; in YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE, the neurologist has become a Nobel Prize winner!
The James Bond Bedside Companion Page 17