preview

Witness for the Prosecution: A Character Analysis of Mr. Mayherne

Good Essays

The categories associated with the means of means of characterization are considered to be explicit vs. implicit characterization, auto- vs. alterocharacterization and figural and narratorial as the foci of characterization. The use of certain means of characterization depends upon the preference of the author: his style, intentions and choice of focus. The characters are characterized by 1) what they say themselves, 2) what they do, 3) what the narrator says about them and 4) what other characters say about them. One should not, however, take for granted what is said by other characters since they might not be reliable, especially if one notices certain inconsistencies. This essay focuses on a story called Witness for the …show more content…

370). It is typical of women to use such words to the male species and one could apply this to Mr. Mayherne since he was also fooled to an extent by this woman who was capable to eliminate the accusations against her beloved husband. The narrator's tone is cool, reserved and a bit ironic. The omniscient third person narrator can be relied on since it is an objective voice, viewing the character from all angles. And though throughout the story the narrator uses only positive descriptions of Mr. Mayherne, the reader is made to be doubtful about their validity. (E.g., why the narrator, instead calling him clever, describes him as "not a fool"?)

Explicit characterization is a more straightforward way of describing a fictional character and leaves less freedom for the reader for interpreting him. On the other hand, it is a more economical treatment of textual material since, instead of devoting entire paragraphs for a character's actions, behaviour etc. to construct his picture, the author chooses just naming them directly. In the portrayal of Mr. Mayherne, the narrator extensively uses the method of explicit characterization. He is described by adjectives: "a small man, precise in manner" (Christie, p. 361), "practical, not emotional" (Christie, p. 361), "his voice dry... but not unsympathetic" (Christie, p. 361), synechdoches: "shrewd eyes" (Christie, p. 3610, verbs: "nouns: "By no means a fool" (Christie, p. 361). The last phrase implies the narrator's

Get Access