The Recruit

The characters and organizations of The Recruit are faced with complex situations that seem simple once they are completed but for which decisions are not made lightly. Through how missions are planned and executed, the people of Fort Harmony, and James’s relationship with Lauren, the book explores the factors that go into decision-making. The Fort Harmony mission is in development during the entire timeline of the book, though James is not aware of this until much later. CHERUB’s willingness to wait for James to complete basic training shows the care with which missions are planned. This is partly due to the time of the oil convention, but regardless, it is made clear that, where possible, CHERUB starts preparations far in advance to minimize disruptions and plan for contingencies. Even so, this does not mean that missions always go to plan or that all harm is mitigated. In Chapter 29, when James’s handler explains the security guards of the house in Chapter 15 lost their jobs as a result of the London mission, he justifies it by arguing that “the weapons could kill hundreds of people, so we decided it was OK if two people lost their jobs” (242). This situation is an example of the difficult choices CHERUB must make in order for missions to be successful, and it shows that losses are just part of the job.

Where CHERUB’s eye for detail makes it clear how negative outcomes can’t always be avoided, the people of Fort Harmony show how the complexity of a choice may not be immediately felt. Within the world of the story, Fort Harmony has been in place for decades. At its conception, it was a protest against the destruction of the environment, and it gained support from the masses, thus making it prohibitive for law enforcement to close it down. As the years passed, however, the people who founded Fort Harmony changed, and during the events of The Recruit, some wonder what the point of the fort is in modern times. At inception, Fort Harmony felt like a cause worth standing up for, but as that cause has lost its meaning, the people are left feeling as though they are clutching to the past to give themselves purpose and denying themselves modern conveniences for a fight they are no longer having. Thus, the initial choice to settle Fort Harmony was simple, but the decision to remain is complicated by how the world has changed and by the shifting opinions of the people.

CHERUB and Fort Harmony highlight the factors and outcomes associated with complex choices. By contrast, James’s relationship with Lauren shows how even simple choices can truly be complicated. At the outset of the book, James is unhappy, which he deals with by lashing out. As a result, James gets into fights, both verbal and physical, that threaten both him and those around him, like Lauren. James doesn’t understand this until his mother’s death results in Lauren going to live with James’s uncle. At this point, James sees that actions (such as his mother’s death) have consequences, which also leads him to realize that choices are actions and, thus, have consequences too. When James doesn’t feel Lauren will be affected by his choices, he is less careful about what he chooses, such as getting involved with a bad crowd while at the children’s home. However, once James is a CHERUB agent and realizes Lauren is also being recruited, he starts to understand that the choices he makes within CHERUB will have a lasting impact on what happens to Lauren. If he chooses to stay and do well, Lauren will also choose to stay, which means she will receive a good education and be cared for. However, if James decides to squander his opportunity or just leave, Lauren may also choose to leave, which could result in her being put back in a bad situation, something James does not want. Thus, what seemed like a simple decision for James (his approach to his relationship with CHERUB) is complicated by how much he cares about Lauren.