Characterization
“[She]...thought to herself, ’Being a game mistress in a third-class school isn’t much of a catch...If only I could get a job at some decent school” (4).
Vera Claythorne
“At the wheel sat a young man, his hair blown back by the wind. In the blaze of the evening light he looked, not a man, but a young God...” (27).
Anthony Marston
a recurring element, such as an image, object, phrase, or action, that appears repeatedly throughout a work to reinforce a central theme
Motif
She is accused of letting a little boy drown.
Vera Claythorne
Overdose of sleeping medication.
Mrs. Rogers
“Enveloped in an aura of righteousness and unyielding principles, [she] sat in her crowded third-class carriage and triumphed over its discomfort and heat.” (8).
Emily Brent
“The butler came forward bowing slightly. He was a tall lank man, grey-haired and very respectable” (30).
Mr. Rogers
a literary device where an author gives hints or clues about events that will happen later in the story
Foreshadowing
Killed an individual while drunk on the job.
Dr. Armstrong
Shot by Vera Claythorne.
Philip Lombard
“[He had been lucky! Lucky and skillful of course...an accurate diagnosis, a couple of grateful women patients...” (11).
Dr. Armstrong
“What a white bloodless ghost of a woman! Very respectable-looking, with her hair dragged back from her face and her lack dress” (31).
Mrs. Rogers
a recurring element, such as an image, object, phrase, or action, that appears repeatedly throughout a work to reinforce a central theme
Red Herring
Died from cyanide injection that appeared to be a bee
Emily Brent
Sending his wife’s lover into battle to die
Macarthur
“He moved like a panther, smoothly and noiselessly. There was something of the panther about him altogether. A beast of prey – pleasant to the eye” (40).
Philip Lombard
“...he said, ‘I’ve got my credentials and you can see them. I’m an ex-CID man. I run a detective agency in Plymoth. I was put on this job’” (60).
Henry Blore
a literary principle that dictates every element in a story should be necessary; if a detail is introduced early, it must be used or have a payoff later
Chekhov's Gun
Having an innocent man sent to prison, where he died
William Henry Blore
Crushed by a marble clock shaped like a bear
William Blore
“Like a wary old tortoise, [he] sat hunched up, his body motionless, his eyes keen and alert”(211).
Justice Wargrave
“It was a tall soldierly old man who appeared at the exit from the platform. His grey hair was clipped close and he had a neatly trimmed white mustache” (23).
General Macarthur
a literary and rhetorical device where what is expected to happen and what actually happensis unexpected
irony
Dealt drugs and gave them to a young woman
Isaac Morris
Pregnant woman who got kicked out by Emily Brent who ultimately drowns herself
Beatrice Taylor