Loyalty doesn't come easy to a spy. Spies have to assume secret identities, they rarely stay in one place for a long period of time, and people are always shooting at them. No wonder Bond has a different woman in every movie. Those trust issues run deep.
But there is one woman Bond has remained loyal to for many years: M. Now, his loyalty to her in Skyfall is complicated: it can be viewed as a mentor-student relationship, or even a mother-son one. But it's further complicated by the fact that while Bond may be loyal to M, she isn't necessarily loyal to him. Can loyalty be a one-way street? Or is that simply a dead end?
Questions about Loyalty
- Is Bond more loyal to M or to England? Or are the two inextricable to him?
- Does Silva have any loyalties?
- Severine appears to have trusted Silva at one point. What changed? Or did she ever truly trust him?
- Does M inspire loyalty in her agents and other employees? If so, how? If not, what does she do wrong?
Chew on This
M's loyalty is primarily to her country. She would sacrifice anyone for the greater good of England…even herself.
While we can't be certain how Silva gets his men to stay loyal to him, we imagine it is through the promise of wealth or power. That kind of loyalty is fleeting, but the kind of patriotism instilled in Bond ensures he will remain loyal to his country even if wealth or power is not guaranteed.