2020 The Murder of Roger Ackroyd – Agatha
Christie ‘In spite of the terrible crimes
committed during the course of the story, the
novel has a happy ending.ʼ
2020
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd – Agatha Christie ‘In spite of the terrible crimes committed during
the course of the story, the novel has a happy ending.ʼ To what extent do you agree with this
view? Remember to include in your answer relevant detailed exploration of Christieʼs authorial
methods. [25 marks]
The purpose of Golden Age being to restore a happy ending. Role of the detective as a
deux ex machina.
Dr Sheppard committing suicide not being a happy ending. He avoids humiliation which he
forces Mrs Ferrars to face and escapes police procedural. His suicide can be seen as
being a weak ending.
The novel revealing the hypocrisy of the society.
In crime fiction, a restoration of natural order where injustice returns to justice, and misery to
happiness is seen as a key theme. In the Golden Age of Crime, this element was seen as being
more important with the sunny and blissful settings being disrupted and violated by the brutal
crime, therefore the detectives role in restoring the previous equilibrium of happiness was seen
as vital. In this essay I will therefore discuss to what extent that ‘in spite of the terrible crimes
committed during the course of ‘The Murder of Roger Ackroydʼ the novel has a happy endingʼ.
The critic Thompson stated that in Golden Age detective fiction the detective simply acts as a
‘deus ex machinaʼ (a brain on a page) whose sole “purpose is to restore happiness and peace
where it was once disrupted”. This can be seen through Poirotʼs ‘denouementʼ where his
revelation “- in fact Dr Sheppard” ties up all of the loose strings of the plot into a neat bow for
the reader to enjoy. The criminal which had once disrupted natural order in society is identified
and revealed therefore his punishment should result in society progressing and moving on as it
would otherwise not have been able to. However, it is the mere character of Dr Sheppard which
almost prevents any happiness from being restored by the end of the novel.
Dr Sheppardʼs position as both the narrator who escaped the readers scrutinising gaze and
career as a doctor means that he supposedly represents all which is honest and good in society
making him a man which readers trust alongside other characters leading to their confiding in
him. It is however by the end of the novel where we realise our misplaced trust. Where Dr
Sheppard is supposed to save lives he takes them, and where his position as the Watson to
Poirotʼs Sherlock means his narrative should be honest – it is incomplete; “It was strictly truthful
Christie ‘In spite of the terrible crimes
committed during the course of the story, the
novel has a happy ending.ʼ
2020
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd – Agatha Christie ‘In spite of the terrible crimes committed during
the course of the story, the novel has a happy ending.ʼ To what extent do you agree with this
view? Remember to include in your answer relevant detailed exploration of Christieʼs authorial
methods. [25 marks]
The purpose of Golden Age being to restore a happy ending. Role of the detective as a
deux ex machina.
Dr Sheppard committing suicide not being a happy ending. He avoids humiliation which he
forces Mrs Ferrars to face and escapes police procedural. His suicide can be seen as
being a weak ending.
The novel revealing the hypocrisy of the society.
In crime fiction, a restoration of natural order where injustice returns to justice, and misery to
happiness is seen as a key theme. In the Golden Age of Crime, this element was seen as being
more important with the sunny and blissful settings being disrupted and violated by the brutal
crime, therefore the detectives role in restoring the previous equilibrium of happiness was seen
as vital. In this essay I will therefore discuss to what extent that ‘in spite of the terrible crimes
committed during the course of ‘The Murder of Roger Ackroydʼ the novel has a happy endingʼ.
The critic Thompson stated that in Golden Age detective fiction the detective simply acts as a
‘deus ex machinaʼ (a brain on a page) whose sole “purpose is to restore happiness and peace
where it was once disrupted”. This can be seen through Poirotʼs ‘denouementʼ where his
revelation “- in fact Dr Sheppard” ties up all of the loose strings of the plot into a neat bow for
the reader to enjoy. The criminal which had once disrupted natural order in society is identified
and revealed therefore his punishment should result in society progressing and moving on as it
would otherwise not have been able to. However, it is the mere character of Dr Sheppard which
almost prevents any happiness from being restored by the end of the novel.
Dr Sheppardʼs position as both the narrator who escaped the readers scrutinising gaze and
career as a doctor means that he supposedly represents all which is honest and good in society
making him a man which readers trust alongside other characters leading to their confiding in
him. It is however by the end of the novel where we realise our misplaced trust. Where Dr
Sheppard is supposed to save lives he takes them, and where his position as the Watson to
Poirotʼs Sherlock means his narrative should be honest – it is incomplete; “It was strictly truthful
