Analysis of the Elements of Plot of Agatha Christie's The Murder of Roger Ackroyd.
ABSTRACT
Dalam tugas akhir ini, saya menganalisis salah satu novel karya Agatha
Christie yang berjudul The Murder of Roger Ackroyd. Novel yang saya pilih
tersebut merupakan sebuah misteri pembunuhan Tuan Ackroyd yang melibatkan
detektif hebat, Hercule Poirot untuk menyelesaikan kasus tersebut. Berkaitan
dengan genre misteri, aspek yang menarik untuk dibahas adalah alur cerita, yang
terdiri atas 3 unsur: suspense, bagian yang menonjolkan ketegangan; surprise,
menampilkan hal-hal diluar dugaan pembaca; dan artistic unity, yang dibangun
oleh keterkaitan suspense dan surprise yang masuk akal.
Dalam novel tersebut, saya menyimpulkan terdapat 7 suspense dan 6
surprise yang saling berkaitan dan masuk akal sehingga terbangun sebuah artistic
unity. Ketegangan demi ketegangan dibangun, diselingi oleh kejutan dan diakhiri
dengan klimaks. Pembaca diajak untuk terus membaca sampai akhir cerita.
Karakter detektif yang Christie ciptakan, yaitu Hercule Poirot, sangat kuat dan
sangat pandai dalam menyelesaikan suatu kasus. Tentunya detektif tersebut
menjadi daya tarik tersendiri dalam setiap novel yang ditulis oleh Agatha Christie.
ii
Maranatha Christian University
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
TABLE OF CONTENTS ...………….............................................................
i
ABSTRACT ………………………………..………………………………...
ii
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study ...……………………………………………
Statement of the Problem ……………………………………………..
Purpose of the Study ………………………………………………….
Method of Research …………………………………………………..
Organization of the Thesis ……………………………………………
1
3
3
3
3
CHAPTER TWO: ANALYSIS OF THE ELEMENTS OF PLOT
OF AGATHA CHRISTIE’S THE MURDER OF ROGER
ACKROYD ............................................................................................
5
CHAPTER THREE: CONCLUSION ……………………………………...
21
BIBLIOGRAPHY …………………………………………………………...
24
APPENDICES
Synopsis of The Murder of Roger Ackroyd …………………………... 26
Biography of Agatha Christie ………………………………………... 27
i
Maranatha Christian University
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study
There are so many genres of fiction in literature. One of them is mystery, “a
genre of fiction in which a detective, either an amateur or a professional, solves a
crime or a series of crimes” (Wiehardt). Besides, there are a number of sub-genres
within the broad category of mystery. One of them is classic detective, it
sometimes called the old-fashioned detective story, “it generally features a
mysterious death, a closed circle of suspect who all have motives and reasonable
opportunity to commit the crime. The central character is the detective who, by
logical deduction from the facts in evidence, solves the mystery” (“Genres of
Mystery and Crime fiction”).
Among the great authors of detective fiction, I have decided to choose
Agatha Christie, who created detective characters such as Hercule Poirot and Miss
Marple (Kennedy). She published her first novel, The Mysterious Affair at Styles
in 1920. Some of Christie’s novels are The Mystery of Blue Train (1928), Murder
On the Orient Express (1934), And then There Were None (1939) (Curran). In my
1
Maranatha Christian University
Thesis, I would like to discuss The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (1926).
In her novel The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, Christie shows the readers
some unexpected events. This novel is about a mysterious murder with an
unpredictable ending; the narrator of the story turns out to be the killer. Good
mysteries are also good novels if they have memorable character, exciting plot,
lively dialogue and writing that “shows” instead of “tells” (Victor). According to
M.J. Murphy in Understanding Unseen, “Novels of adventure, mystery, crime and
detection, espionage and often also science fiction, usually have well worked-out
plots” (134). Moreover, as the plot in The Murder of Roger Ackroyd is the most
important literary element, I would like to discuss it in my thesis. Plot is “a
carefully thought out plan in which the events, all the actions and reactions of the
characters, contribute towards the forward movement of the story” (134). Plot
consists of three elements; they are suspense, surprise and artistic unity. Suspense
is “the quality of a story that makes the reader ask ‘what is going to happen next?’
or ‘How will this turn out?’ and impels him to read on to find the answers to these
questions” (Perrine 45). While surprise is “proportional to the unexpectedness of
what happens; it becomes pronounced when the story departs radically from our
expectations” (47), and artistic unity means
… the condition of a successful literary work whereby all its elements
work together for the achievement of its central purpose. In an artistically
unified work nothing is included that is irrelevant to the central, nothing is
omitted that is essential to it, and the parts are arranged in the most
effective order for the achievement of the purpose. (“Artistic Unity”)
2
Maranatha Christian University
Statement of the Problem
The problems discussed in this thesis are stated as follows:
1. What are the suspenses in the novel?
2. What are the surprises in the novel?
3. How is the artistic unity presented in the novel?
Purpose of the Study
Based on the statements of the problem, the purposes of the study are:
1. To show the suspenses in the novel.
2. To show the surprises in the novel.
3. To show how the artistic unity is presented in the novel.
Method of Research
I use library research in writing my thesis. First, I read Agatha Christie’s
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd as the primary text. Then, I take some data from
the Internet sites and sources to support my analysis of the elements of plot in the
novel. In the end, I draw some conclusion of what has been discussed.
Organization of the Thesis
The thesis is organized into three chapters, which are preceded by the Table
of Contents and the Abstract. Chapter One is the Introduction, which contains the
Background of the Study, the Statement of the Problem, the Purpose of the Study,
the Method of Research, and the Organization of the Thesis. Chapter Two
contains the analysis of the elements of plot of Agatha Christie’s The Murder of
Roger Ackroyd. Chapter Three is the Conclusion. The thesis ends with the
3
Maranatha Christian University
Bibliography and the Appendixes, which consist of the Synopsis of the Novel and
the Biography of the Author.
4
Maranatha Christian University
CHAPTER THREE
CONCLUSION
After reading and analyzing Agatha Christie’s The Murder of Roger
Ackroyd, I come to conclusion that the novel is a thrilling mystery novel because
the elements of plot in the novel are very well presented. The suspenses in the
novel make the readers tricked while they are reading the novel. The element of
the surprise also makes the readers feel surprised because the unexpectedness of
what happens in the story is beyond the readers’ expectation. All the suspenses
and surprises are well arranged; they are connected to each other, acceptable and
plausible, which builds the artistic unity of the novel.
Agatha Christie is skillful at presenting the suspenses in her novel. The
suspenses in this novel are closely connected. Besides, one interesting thing when
I read this novel is that Christie can make the readers misled about who the real
killer is. Christie piles up the suspenses first. There are seven suspenses in this
story and each suspsense is not directly answered by the surprise. From the first
suspense until the fifth suspense Christie builds the tension by creating many
suspects, and then comes up with some unexpected surprises before the sixth
21
Maranatha Christian University
suspense that leads to the climax in the seventh suspense. It makes the readers
more curious to keep on reading in order to find out who the real murderer is. The
example can be seen from the third suspense when Parker, Ackroyd’s butler, is
suspected to be involved in the case whether as the murderer or the blackmailer.
Moreover, when Dr. Sheppard gets a phone call from Fernly Park that night,
Parker confesses that he never calls Dr. Sheppard. Besides, he shows suspicious
actions that lead the readers to suspect him. Those situations put Parker in a
difficult position. Christie makes the readers keep reading the story because of the
increasing tension in the story. The tension is so great that it makes the readers
feel thrilled.
The element of surprise is also well presented. There are six surprises in
this story but they appear intermittently from the suspense. The first two surprises
come up in the story after five suspenses appear and build the tension in the
readers’ mind by making the readers curious about the real murderer. The next
three come after another suspense is created. The last surprise comes right after
the last suspense to explain the whole chronology and also reveals the murderer.
Christie makes the readers feel surprised because of the unexpectedness in the
story. The most important surprise is the last surprise, which is the climax of the
story, which answers all the questions unanswered yet. There are many suspects
in the story like Parker, the stranger who is later known as Charles Kent, Ralph
Paton, and Flora Ackroyd and all their motives. However, when Poirot
investigates this murder case and reveals the real murderer, the readers will be
surprised. The murderer is Dr. Sheppard, the narrator of the story and Poirot’s
22
Maranatha Christian University
partner when solving this case. This surprise is beyond the readers’ expectation.
Christie successfully gives the reader an unexpected surprise as the climax.
The elements of suspense and surprise are plausible if both elements are
well presented and well connected. The way Christie delivers the elements of
suspense and surprise is really amazing. Christie makes the readers curious and
keep reading the story from the beginning until the end, where she gives a surprise
that the readers would not expect. The tension that appears at the beginning of the
story is not answered until the last surprise comes up to reveal the truth. It is
plausible because the truth would not be revealed if Poirot is not smart enough to
do the investigation such as talking to Caroline, Dr. Sheppard’s sister, visiting a
nursing home, and interpreting Dr. Sheppard’s behavior. Christie successfully
gives the readers an intense suspense with unexpected surprise at the end of the
story through Poirot’s smart investigation, which makes the suspense and surprise
plausible and acceptable, and builds the artistic unity of the novel.
In conclusion, I am of the opinion that The Murder of Roger Ackroyd is
one of the best detective novels because of its elements of plot. The events in the
story are closely related. The tension that Christie gives in this novel really
entertains the readers so that this novel is really worth reading. It is no wonder
that Agatha Christie has become one of the world’s top-selling authors.
23
Maranatha Christian University
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Primary Text:
Christie, Agatha. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd. London: Harper, 2002.
Print.
References:
“Agatha Christie Biography.” Biographyonline.net. 2014. Web. 22 Oct. 2014.
“Artistic Unity.” Humanitiesweb.org. n.d. Web. 20 Feb. 2015.
Curran, John. “The Top 10 Agatha Christie mysteries.” Theguardian.com. 2009.
Web. 1 Mar. 2015.
“Genres of Mystery and Crime Fiction.” Libguides.enc.edu. 2015. Web. 19 Mar.
2015.
Kennedy, Patrick. “Detective Fiction.” Literatureintranslation.about.com. 2015.
Web. 19 Mar. 2015.
Murphy, M.J. Understanding Unseens. Oxford: George Allen & Unwin Ltd.,
1972. Print.
Perrine, Laurence. Story and Structure. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich,
Inc., 1974. Print.
Victor, William, S.L. “How to Write a Mystery.” Creative-writing-now.com.
2015. Web. 20 Feb. 2015
24
Maranatha Christian University
Wiehardt, Ginny. “Mystery Novel.” Fictionwriting.about.com. 2015. Web. 11
Mar. 2015.
25
Maranatha Christian University
Dalam tugas akhir ini, saya menganalisis salah satu novel karya Agatha
Christie yang berjudul The Murder of Roger Ackroyd. Novel yang saya pilih
tersebut merupakan sebuah misteri pembunuhan Tuan Ackroyd yang melibatkan
detektif hebat, Hercule Poirot untuk menyelesaikan kasus tersebut. Berkaitan
dengan genre misteri, aspek yang menarik untuk dibahas adalah alur cerita, yang
terdiri atas 3 unsur: suspense, bagian yang menonjolkan ketegangan; surprise,
menampilkan hal-hal diluar dugaan pembaca; dan artistic unity, yang dibangun
oleh keterkaitan suspense dan surprise yang masuk akal.
Dalam novel tersebut, saya menyimpulkan terdapat 7 suspense dan 6
surprise yang saling berkaitan dan masuk akal sehingga terbangun sebuah artistic
unity. Ketegangan demi ketegangan dibangun, diselingi oleh kejutan dan diakhiri
dengan klimaks. Pembaca diajak untuk terus membaca sampai akhir cerita.
Karakter detektif yang Christie ciptakan, yaitu Hercule Poirot, sangat kuat dan
sangat pandai dalam menyelesaikan suatu kasus. Tentunya detektif tersebut
menjadi daya tarik tersendiri dalam setiap novel yang ditulis oleh Agatha Christie.
ii
Maranatha Christian University
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
TABLE OF CONTENTS ...………….............................................................
i
ABSTRACT ………………………………..………………………………...
ii
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study ...……………………………………………
Statement of the Problem ……………………………………………..
Purpose of the Study ………………………………………………….
Method of Research …………………………………………………..
Organization of the Thesis ……………………………………………
1
3
3
3
3
CHAPTER TWO: ANALYSIS OF THE ELEMENTS OF PLOT
OF AGATHA CHRISTIE’S THE MURDER OF ROGER
ACKROYD ............................................................................................
5
CHAPTER THREE: CONCLUSION ……………………………………...
21
BIBLIOGRAPHY …………………………………………………………...
24
APPENDICES
Synopsis of The Murder of Roger Ackroyd …………………………... 26
Biography of Agatha Christie ………………………………………... 27
i
Maranatha Christian University
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study
There are so many genres of fiction in literature. One of them is mystery, “a
genre of fiction in which a detective, either an amateur or a professional, solves a
crime or a series of crimes” (Wiehardt). Besides, there are a number of sub-genres
within the broad category of mystery. One of them is classic detective, it
sometimes called the old-fashioned detective story, “it generally features a
mysterious death, a closed circle of suspect who all have motives and reasonable
opportunity to commit the crime. The central character is the detective who, by
logical deduction from the facts in evidence, solves the mystery” (“Genres of
Mystery and Crime fiction”).
Among the great authors of detective fiction, I have decided to choose
Agatha Christie, who created detective characters such as Hercule Poirot and Miss
Marple (Kennedy). She published her first novel, The Mysterious Affair at Styles
in 1920. Some of Christie’s novels are The Mystery of Blue Train (1928), Murder
On the Orient Express (1934), And then There Were None (1939) (Curran). In my
1
Maranatha Christian University
Thesis, I would like to discuss The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (1926).
In her novel The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, Christie shows the readers
some unexpected events. This novel is about a mysterious murder with an
unpredictable ending; the narrator of the story turns out to be the killer. Good
mysteries are also good novels if they have memorable character, exciting plot,
lively dialogue and writing that “shows” instead of “tells” (Victor). According to
M.J. Murphy in Understanding Unseen, “Novels of adventure, mystery, crime and
detection, espionage and often also science fiction, usually have well worked-out
plots” (134). Moreover, as the plot in The Murder of Roger Ackroyd is the most
important literary element, I would like to discuss it in my thesis. Plot is “a
carefully thought out plan in which the events, all the actions and reactions of the
characters, contribute towards the forward movement of the story” (134). Plot
consists of three elements; they are suspense, surprise and artistic unity. Suspense
is “the quality of a story that makes the reader ask ‘what is going to happen next?’
or ‘How will this turn out?’ and impels him to read on to find the answers to these
questions” (Perrine 45). While surprise is “proportional to the unexpectedness of
what happens; it becomes pronounced when the story departs radically from our
expectations” (47), and artistic unity means
… the condition of a successful literary work whereby all its elements
work together for the achievement of its central purpose. In an artistically
unified work nothing is included that is irrelevant to the central, nothing is
omitted that is essential to it, and the parts are arranged in the most
effective order for the achievement of the purpose. (“Artistic Unity”)
2
Maranatha Christian University
Statement of the Problem
The problems discussed in this thesis are stated as follows:
1. What are the suspenses in the novel?
2. What are the surprises in the novel?
3. How is the artistic unity presented in the novel?
Purpose of the Study
Based on the statements of the problem, the purposes of the study are:
1. To show the suspenses in the novel.
2. To show the surprises in the novel.
3. To show how the artistic unity is presented in the novel.
Method of Research
I use library research in writing my thesis. First, I read Agatha Christie’s
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd as the primary text. Then, I take some data from
the Internet sites and sources to support my analysis of the elements of plot in the
novel. In the end, I draw some conclusion of what has been discussed.
Organization of the Thesis
The thesis is organized into three chapters, which are preceded by the Table
of Contents and the Abstract. Chapter One is the Introduction, which contains the
Background of the Study, the Statement of the Problem, the Purpose of the Study,
the Method of Research, and the Organization of the Thesis. Chapter Two
contains the analysis of the elements of plot of Agatha Christie’s The Murder of
Roger Ackroyd. Chapter Three is the Conclusion. The thesis ends with the
3
Maranatha Christian University
Bibliography and the Appendixes, which consist of the Synopsis of the Novel and
the Biography of the Author.
4
Maranatha Christian University
CHAPTER THREE
CONCLUSION
After reading and analyzing Agatha Christie’s The Murder of Roger
Ackroyd, I come to conclusion that the novel is a thrilling mystery novel because
the elements of plot in the novel are very well presented. The suspenses in the
novel make the readers tricked while they are reading the novel. The element of
the surprise also makes the readers feel surprised because the unexpectedness of
what happens in the story is beyond the readers’ expectation. All the suspenses
and surprises are well arranged; they are connected to each other, acceptable and
plausible, which builds the artistic unity of the novel.
Agatha Christie is skillful at presenting the suspenses in her novel. The
suspenses in this novel are closely connected. Besides, one interesting thing when
I read this novel is that Christie can make the readers misled about who the real
killer is. Christie piles up the suspenses first. There are seven suspenses in this
story and each suspsense is not directly answered by the surprise. From the first
suspense until the fifth suspense Christie builds the tension by creating many
suspects, and then comes up with some unexpected surprises before the sixth
21
Maranatha Christian University
suspense that leads to the climax in the seventh suspense. It makes the readers
more curious to keep on reading in order to find out who the real murderer is. The
example can be seen from the third suspense when Parker, Ackroyd’s butler, is
suspected to be involved in the case whether as the murderer or the blackmailer.
Moreover, when Dr. Sheppard gets a phone call from Fernly Park that night,
Parker confesses that he never calls Dr. Sheppard. Besides, he shows suspicious
actions that lead the readers to suspect him. Those situations put Parker in a
difficult position. Christie makes the readers keep reading the story because of the
increasing tension in the story. The tension is so great that it makes the readers
feel thrilled.
The element of surprise is also well presented. There are six surprises in
this story but they appear intermittently from the suspense. The first two surprises
come up in the story after five suspenses appear and build the tension in the
readers’ mind by making the readers curious about the real murderer. The next
three come after another suspense is created. The last surprise comes right after
the last suspense to explain the whole chronology and also reveals the murderer.
Christie makes the readers feel surprised because of the unexpectedness in the
story. The most important surprise is the last surprise, which is the climax of the
story, which answers all the questions unanswered yet. There are many suspects
in the story like Parker, the stranger who is later known as Charles Kent, Ralph
Paton, and Flora Ackroyd and all their motives. However, when Poirot
investigates this murder case and reveals the real murderer, the readers will be
surprised. The murderer is Dr. Sheppard, the narrator of the story and Poirot’s
22
Maranatha Christian University
partner when solving this case. This surprise is beyond the readers’ expectation.
Christie successfully gives the reader an unexpected surprise as the climax.
The elements of suspense and surprise are plausible if both elements are
well presented and well connected. The way Christie delivers the elements of
suspense and surprise is really amazing. Christie makes the readers curious and
keep reading the story from the beginning until the end, where she gives a surprise
that the readers would not expect. The tension that appears at the beginning of the
story is not answered until the last surprise comes up to reveal the truth. It is
plausible because the truth would not be revealed if Poirot is not smart enough to
do the investigation such as talking to Caroline, Dr. Sheppard’s sister, visiting a
nursing home, and interpreting Dr. Sheppard’s behavior. Christie successfully
gives the readers an intense suspense with unexpected surprise at the end of the
story through Poirot’s smart investigation, which makes the suspense and surprise
plausible and acceptable, and builds the artistic unity of the novel.
In conclusion, I am of the opinion that The Murder of Roger Ackroyd is
one of the best detective novels because of its elements of plot. The events in the
story are closely related. The tension that Christie gives in this novel really
entertains the readers so that this novel is really worth reading. It is no wonder
that Agatha Christie has become one of the world’s top-selling authors.
23
Maranatha Christian University
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Primary Text:
Christie, Agatha. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd. London: Harper, 2002.
Print.
References:
“Agatha Christie Biography.” Biographyonline.net. 2014. Web. 22 Oct. 2014.
“Artistic Unity.” Humanitiesweb.org. n.d. Web. 20 Feb. 2015.
Curran, John. “The Top 10 Agatha Christie mysteries.” Theguardian.com. 2009.
Web. 1 Mar. 2015.
“Genres of Mystery and Crime Fiction.” Libguides.enc.edu. 2015. Web. 19 Mar.
2015.
Kennedy, Patrick. “Detective Fiction.” Literatureintranslation.about.com. 2015.
Web. 19 Mar. 2015.
Murphy, M.J. Understanding Unseens. Oxford: George Allen & Unwin Ltd.,
1972. Print.
Perrine, Laurence. Story and Structure. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich,
Inc., 1974. Print.
Victor, William, S.L. “How to Write a Mystery.” Creative-writing-now.com.
2015. Web. 20 Feb. 2015
24
Maranatha Christian University
Wiehardt, Ginny. “Mystery Novel.” Fictionwriting.about.com. 2015. Web. 11
Mar. 2015.
25
Maranatha Christian University