‘In crime writing outsiders/the marginalised
are always key.ʼ Explore the significance of the
outsiders and marginalised in two crime texts
you have studied. [25 marks]
‘In crime writing outsiders/the marginalised are always key.ʼ
Explore the significance of the outsiders and marginalised in two crime texts you have studied.
[25 marks]
Murder of Roger Ackroyd and The Poetry Anthology
Poirotʼs position as an outsider allowing him to investigate and be a better detective – the
police and characters are not initially threatened by him causing them to reveal more of
their secrets.
Ursula Bourne as an outsider who reveals an integral piece of information vital to Ralphʼs
innocence.
The significance of The Ballad of Reading Gaol being about marginalisation of criminals.
Porphyria and My Last Duchess being outsiders to their sex and society – causing them to
be removed.
In crime writing, the concept of ‘outsidersʼ and those ‘marginalisedʼ has been often used by
writers as a commentary on society or a plot feature within the crime fiction. In ‘The Murder of
Roger Ackroydʼ the marginalised and outsiders act as stimulants for the progression of the plot,
while in the poetry texts those cast as outsiders become victims due to their outsider quality
resulting in the crimes being committed against them. In this essay I will therefore discuss to
what extent ‘in crime writing outsiders and the marginalised are always keyʼ.
The critic Thompson stated that Poirot acts as a ‘deus ex machinaʼ being nothing more than a
“brain on a page”, who uses his outsider quality to decrease suspicion of those around him, so
they become more relaxed and therefore more likely to expose their secrets. Within all of his
novels his ridiculousness is initially depicted as laughable to the cast of characters around him
leading to them undermining him as seeing him as nothing more than a ‘man who grows
vegetable marrowsʼ. In Chapter 3 of ‘The Murder of Roger Ackroydʼ, Caroline and Dr Sheppard
initially assume Poirot to be a hairdresser due to his “egg-shaped head, partially covered with
suspiciously black hair” and “two immense moustaches”. It is this ridiculousness in which Poirot
is presented as an over-the-top Belgian outsider which leads to the characters missing the “pair
of watchful eyes” and deep intrinsic knowledge of the human psychology which he uses
alongside his little “grey cells” to solve the crime of Roger Ackroydʼs death. His name ‘Herculeʼ
is a play on the Greek Mythological figure Hercules, with the missing ‘sʼ also representing
Hercule Poirotʼs lack of strength and masculine assertion similar to other more hardboiled
detectives. He appears more feminine using small details such as the movement of an armchair
are always key.ʼ Explore the significance of the
outsiders and marginalised in two crime texts
you have studied. [25 marks]
‘In crime writing outsiders/the marginalised are always key.ʼ
Explore the significance of the outsiders and marginalised in two crime texts you have studied.
[25 marks]
Murder of Roger Ackroyd and The Poetry Anthology
Poirotʼs position as an outsider allowing him to investigate and be a better detective – the
police and characters are not initially threatened by him causing them to reveal more of
their secrets.
Ursula Bourne as an outsider who reveals an integral piece of information vital to Ralphʼs
innocence.
The significance of The Ballad of Reading Gaol being about marginalisation of criminals.
Porphyria and My Last Duchess being outsiders to their sex and society – causing them to
be removed.
In crime writing, the concept of ‘outsidersʼ and those ‘marginalisedʼ has been often used by
writers as a commentary on society or a plot feature within the crime fiction. In ‘The Murder of
Roger Ackroydʼ the marginalised and outsiders act as stimulants for the progression of the plot,
while in the poetry texts those cast as outsiders become victims due to their outsider quality
resulting in the crimes being committed against them. In this essay I will therefore discuss to
what extent ‘in crime writing outsiders and the marginalised are always keyʼ.
The critic Thompson stated that Poirot acts as a ‘deus ex machinaʼ being nothing more than a
“brain on a page”, who uses his outsider quality to decrease suspicion of those around him, so
they become more relaxed and therefore more likely to expose their secrets. Within all of his
novels his ridiculousness is initially depicted as laughable to the cast of characters around him
leading to them undermining him as seeing him as nothing more than a ‘man who grows
vegetable marrowsʼ. In Chapter 3 of ‘The Murder of Roger Ackroydʼ, Caroline and Dr Sheppard
initially assume Poirot to be a hairdresser due to his “egg-shaped head, partially covered with
suspiciously black hair” and “two immense moustaches”. It is this ridiculousness in which Poirot
is presented as an over-the-top Belgian outsider which leads to the characters missing the “pair
of watchful eyes” and deep intrinsic knowledge of the human psychology which he uses
alongside his little “grey cells” to solve the crime of Roger Ackroydʼs death. His name ‘Herculeʼ
is a play on the Greek Mythological figure Hercules, with the missing ‘sʼ also representing
Hercule Poirotʼs lack of strength and masculine assertion similar to other more hardboiled
detectives. He appears more feminine using small details such as the movement of an armchair
