‘In crime writing, the guilty are justly punished.ʼ
Explore the significance of punishment in two
crime texts you have studied. Remember to
include in your answer relevant detailed
exploration of authorial methods. [25 marks]
‘In crime writing, the guilty are justly punished.ʼ Explore the significance of punishment in two
crime texts you have studied. Remember to include in your answer relevant detailed exploration
of authorial methods. [25 marks]
Murder of Roger Ackroyd and Atonement
Dr Sheppardʼs suicide being a restoration or natural order for some readers.
The other criminals of the novel – the rotten core at the centre of the society.
Brionyʼs punishment.
Paul Marshall.
For centuries, critics have debated whether crime writing has a moral purpose of punishing the
guilty and rewarding the innocent. For some this ending to a novel lacks an element of realism
but also establishes questions of what truly makes a just punishment. In this essay I will
therefore discuss to what extent ‘the guilty are justly punishedʼ in The Murder of Roger Ackroyd
and Atonement.
Following Poirotʼs dénouement, as states to Dr Sheppard that “There might be, for instance, an
overdose of a sleeping draught”, the common theme in the Golden Age of Crime of being
‘pushed to suicide is exploredʼ with Poirot allowing Dr Sheppard to kill himself and achieve
“poetic justice” with it being the same way his victim Mrs Ferrars died. Dr Sheppard appears to
comply with Poirotʼs decision for his fate stating in a resigned tone in the Apologia; “let it be
veronal” suggesting that he will go through with Poirotʼs request, and through this an element of
justice can be seen as being acted out. Poirot who the critic Thompson stated is “nothing more
than a brain on a page” a “deus ex machina” restores natural order in the sunny village of Kingʼs
Abbot removing the criminal threat allowing the society to function normally. Furthermore, the
method of punishment being suicide also prevents class boundaries from being disrupted as
commonly in crime fiction, the rich usually chose death over going to prison with all the
assumed lower-working class individuals. Dr Sheppard a middle-class man therefore remains in
his class position also preventing further disruption to the 1920s society.
However, certain critics have stated that this punishment is unjust. By preventing Dr Sheppard
from experiencing the legal proceedings and prison sentence, he is allowed to escape the
humiliation which he forced Mrs Ferrars to experience. Through this Dr Sheppardʼs punishment
can be seen as being unjust and even making Poirotʼs role as a detective a subversion to his
Explore the significance of punishment in two
crime texts you have studied. Remember to
include in your answer relevant detailed
exploration of authorial methods. [25 marks]
‘In crime writing, the guilty are justly punished.ʼ Explore the significance of punishment in two
crime texts you have studied. Remember to include in your answer relevant detailed exploration
of authorial methods. [25 marks]
Murder of Roger Ackroyd and Atonement
Dr Sheppardʼs suicide being a restoration or natural order for some readers.
The other criminals of the novel – the rotten core at the centre of the society.
Brionyʼs punishment.
Paul Marshall.
For centuries, critics have debated whether crime writing has a moral purpose of punishing the
guilty and rewarding the innocent. For some this ending to a novel lacks an element of realism
but also establishes questions of what truly makes a just punishment. In this essay I will
therefore discuss to what extent ‘the guilty are justly punishedʼ in The Murder of Roger Ackroyd
and Atonement.
Following Poirotʼs dénouement, as states to Dr Sheppard that “There might be, for instance, an
overdose of a sleeping draught”, the common theme in the Golden Age of Crime of being
‘pushed to suicide is exploredʼ with Poirot allowing Dr Sheppard to kill himself and achieve
“poetic justice” with it being the same way his victim Mrs Ferrars died. Dr Sheppard appears to
comply with Poirotʼs decision for his fate stating in a resigned tone in the Apologia; “let it be
veronal” suggesting that he will go through with Poirotʼs request, and through this an element of
justice can be seen as being acted out. Poirot who the critic Thompson stated is “nothing more
than a brain on a page” a “deus ex machina” restores natural order in the sunny village of Kingʼs
Abbot removing the criminal threat allowing the society to function normally. Furthermore, the
method of punishment being suicide also prevents class boundaries from being disrupted as
commonly in crime fiction, the rich usually chose death over going to prison with all the
assumed lower-working class individuals. Dr Sheppard a middle-class man therefore remains in
his class position also preventing further disruption to the 1920s society.
However, certain critics have stated that this punishment is unjust. By preventing Dr Sheppard
from experiencing the legal proceedings and prison sentence, he is allowed to escape the
humiliation which he forced Mrs Ferrars to experience. Through this Dr Sheppardʼs punishment
can be seen as being unjust and even making Poirotʼs role as a detective a subversion to his
