She describes how she was raped as a sixteen-year-old by her high school principal and her abusive marriage. Mata Hari tells the story of her life in her letter to Clunet. The novel, which consists of a letter Mata Hari wrote during the last week of her life, and a letter from Edouard Clunet, her lawyer are works of fiction though they are based on the facts of Mata Hari’s life, trial and execution. The evidence against her never merited the charges. Mata Hari, a dancer from France was executed as a spy in the early part of World War I. Her story fits in the genre of historical fiction. This novel opens with the details of the execution of Mata Hari on October 15, 1917, in Paris. Regardless, charges are brought against her and she is found guilty. Mata Hari refuses to work as a spy, saying she has no problem being a prostitute, but will not betray France. At the beginning of World War I, she is sought by German officials to act as a spy because she is having an affair with the man who will become France’s minister of war. In The Spy by Paulo Coelho, dancer Mata Hari rebels against the accepted roles of women for her time period in order to follow her dreams. The following version of the novel was used to create this study guide: Coelho, Paulo.
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