Analysis Of Murder On The Orient Express

How can two people watch or read the same story and yet, interpret it completely differently? Does it have to do with the author’s intentions, or maybe it has to do with the viewers’ own backgrounds and ideologies? Whatever the case may be, viewing one piece of work can lead to a wide array of opinions and critiques. It is through the diversity of such lenses that Death of a Salesman, by Arthur Miller has become one of the most well-known plays in modern history. There are many different ways in which a play can be criticized, however, criticisms from the approaches of a Marxist and reader-response will be utilized to further dissect Death of a Salesman. Marxist criticism sees pieces of works as a struggle between different socioeconomic classes; what better way to see Miller’s play than for what it is at face value, the struggle of a middle-class man trying to achieve the American dream (1750). On the other hand, a reader-response criticism comes from either an objective or subjective view; in this case Death of a Salesman will be viewed with a subjective lens based on Willy’s deteriorating mental health (1746).

This person is unlike any of the passengers aboard the Stamboul-Calais coach. Hildegarde Schmidt tells Poirot she saw a man in a Wagon Lit Conductor's uniform moving quickly down the hallway that matched Hardman's description. The passengers attempt to create an enemy and a person that entered the train, murdered Ratchett and quickly left. The passengers use the idea of a typical murderer to convince Poirot that the mysterious person kills Ratchett. The twelve murderers use the concealment and the lie to hide their identities and erase any connection to the Armstrong case.

Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie is a murder-mystery novel that takes place on a train headed toward Calais. In the middle of the 2nd night aboard, the train comes to a halt, and the passengers are stuck in a snowstorm. It is then discovered that a man has been murdered, and everyone in the train is now a suspect. The novel follows Hercule Poirot as he examines the evidence and tries to piece together the story behind the murder. Throughout the novel, the theme of justice is very important because it is repeatedly mentioned, it was initially evaded by the victim, and is revealed to be the inspiration behind the murder.

After reviewing the evidence, Mary Debenham, Hector Macqueen, and Colonel Arbuthnot are responsible for the murdering Samuel Edward Ratchett. Mary Debenham, the young English governess, is a prime suspect in the murder due to a substantial amount of suspicious activity. At the start of the novel, while Hercule Poirot was aboard the Taurus Express, he studied Ms. Debenham’s personality in such great detail that after observing her on the Orient Express, he immediately identified various inconsistencies. Ms. Debenham and the Colonel acted differently among one another on the two trains. While on the Taurus Express, Ms. Debenham and the Colonel discussed personal information among each other. “[...] they discovered some mutual friends, which had the immediate effect of making them more friendly and less stiff” (Christie 10). They opened up with one another and were friendly. On the Orient Express, they acted opposite, seeming as if they were never acquainted. “At the next table, a small one, sat Colonel Arbuthnot—alone. [...] They were not sitting together”(Christie 18). Poirot, at first, assumed that the reason that they sat independently of each other was due to Ms. Debenham fearing that her reputation would be tainted, but with further knowledge, it can be inferred that they sat apart to not be assumed together. They would not want to be seen together if they both took part in the murder. Another instance of Ms. Debenham’s suspicious behavior can be displayed during the two train delays. Despite the similar environments, she acted opposite in each situation. On the Taurus Express, during the delay, she acted frantic and anxious, desperately asking when the train would continue. “But we can’t afford delay! This train is due in at 6.55 [...] and catch the Simplon Orient Express on the other side at nine o’clock. If there is an hour or two of delay we shall miss the connection”(Christie 11). Why did Ms. Debenham need to catch that particular train so badly? By the next day, another Orient Express would be there to take her to London. Ms. Debenham would have had to catch that particular train in order to fulfill her plans of killing Ratchett. After Ratchett was murdered, Ms. Debenham was caught in yet another

In Theatre Mitu’s “hyper-theatrical” production of “Death of A Salesman” by Arthur Miller many aspects were added to heighten the messages and morals of the story about the American Dream. One major choice was the use of objects to signify characters as well as add to characters. Willy carried a empty, open briefcase. Linda carried a sun parasol. Biff carried football gear. All the other characters are objects themselves. Happ is a punching bag. Charley is a refrigerator door, and Bernard is a bug repellent light. The Women is a fan. Ben is a big light, and the waiter is a champagne bucket. Almost all of the characters excluding Biff, Willy, and Linda are recording voices which creates a degree of separation from the outside world. Happ is somewhere in between by being an actor with a microphone.

Richard Gremel’s original comedic play, The Mysterious Murder at Manchester Manor (TMMMM) premiered at the Vail Theater of the Arts. This show was directed by Richard Gremel himself, and the cast was Empire High School's Advanced Drama class. This play report will emphasize the performance of an individual actor, Emily Gates (portraying Nancy Waters), under a rubric of six traits: movement, believability, beats & intentions, subtext & inner monologue, physical score of action (PSA), and overall performance.

The main character in the story is Sherlock Holmes; he is the hero of the book, a very important factor in a mystery book. The Victorians would have loved this character because he was not a part of the police force; he was a character that could be relied on, when the police force was so corrupt. Holmes’s life was his job, as the reader gets further into the story; they see that Holmes works for personal satisfaction, ’my profession is its own

The movie, Requiem for a Dream (Selby & Mansell, 2000) exposes the multiple faces of addiction. Addiction can change a person’s identity and therefore, impacts each person differently. This movie explores the life of four addicts who push the boundaries of their own lives leaving the viewer to wonder, how far will they go to use drugs? The focus of this paper is on what addiction looks like for the character, Harry Goldfarb.

The main point of this article is that this story has most classic Christie themes including an enclosed setting (oriented express) and loose associates among suspects. In a detective novel, the suspects usually is much closer to the dead person. But in Murder On The Orient Express, the readers are aware that one after another passengers is connected with the Armstrong kidnapping case. In the end it turns out that everyone has something to hide; however, the criminals are let off scot-free because they have got rid of the world of a monster that law cannot reach,

“She aint honest … She likes a rigged game” (Forman One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest Film). Power can be used as a source of evil or heroism. It has the capacity to control and manipulate people. However, it also has the capability to champion freedom and rights for others. In the novel One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest, Nurse Ratchet’s controlling power came from her ability to emasculate the male patients and maintain a sexless façade. She also held in place an extensive system of rules and regulations, as well as an ordered routine. McMurphy’s liberating power derived from his rebellion against the ward rules and his open sexuality which granted him confidence.

the Orient Express is not shy of greatness. It is one of the best selling murder mysteries in history. The book truly is wonderful and keeps you guessing the whole time. Part of the reason it is so great is because the novel is influenced by Agatha's life and also the lives of many others, making it spectacular and unique. Throughout the the life of Agatha Christie, imaginary friends, famous authors, and world travels have all influenced her writing.

Murder on the Orient Express is more than just a murder mystery. It is a novel that utilizes a great deal of existing social issues of the era in which it was written and formed a commentary on those issues while giving the reader an intriguing yet approachable narrative. Through this approach, Agatha Christie has given the reader an opportunity to see the world through the eyes of the seasoned private investigator Hercule Poirot. In this world, nothing is at it seems and apparent coincidence belies a hidden truth, a world in which the geographical connections created by passenger railways allowed people of different nationalities and classes to rub elbows.

"After all the highways, and the trains, and the years, you end up worth more dead than alive," (Miller, 98). This quote was spoken by the main character of the Arthur Miller play Death of a Salesman: Willy Loman. This tragedy takes place in Connecticut during the late 1940s. It is the story of a salesman, Willy Loman, and his family’s struggles with the American Dream, betrayal, and abandonment. Willy Loman is a failing salesman recently demoted to commission and unable to pay his bills. He is married to a woman by the name of Linda and has two sons, Biff and Happy. Throughout this play Willy is plagued incessantly with his and his son’s inability to succeed in life. Willy believes that any “well-liked” and “personally attractive

Not only do they lie to the other passengers of the train and the reader, but also to the great detective Herlcule Poirot. “Lies- and again lies. It amazes me, the amount of lies we had told to us this morning… There are still more to discover.” (Christie MOE 61). The ego of the passengers and isolation are in sync to the theory as they are all in small space with so much hatred towards the man that it drives them enough to kill him. Being so tight in a small compartment leads them to all kill Ratchtte for what he did to the little girl of Daisy Armstrong together and knew what they were doing. The passengers have it set in their mind that they want to kill him in which they do but never speak a word of it to Poirot. “If ever a man deserves what he got, Ratchett... Is the man... I'm Rejoice I was end. Such a man wasn't fit to live!” (2.13). In closing, both novels show the ego/illness by all the guests on the island and train committing a murder, lie about themselves, and hold inner disires that only the reader learns to find out.

Arthur Miller begins his play with an excellent description of the setting of the play. This makes it easy for the reader to imagine themselves actually watching the play and causes the reader to be able to better relate to the play. Because Death of a Salesman can be considered an emotional play, it qualifies as being a timeless work of literature, especially because it has the ability to touch the human heart. Willy Loman is a salesman, who lives in New York City with his wife Linda. From the beginning of the play, Miller makes it obvious that Willy struggles with many obstacles, such as anger and even confusion since there are many times throughout the play where Willy becomes severely confused. Many characters throughout the play,