Perception is key when reading the “The Witness for the Prosecution” by Agatha Christie, as the lawyer Mr. Mayherne attempts to navigate the complicated characters within the story. Despite dissecting their dialogue, actions, and thoughts within the text, it is difficult to reach an absolute conclusion due to the representation of the likes of Leonard Vole, Romaine Vole, and Emily French and what they reveal over time to Mr. Mayherne. “The Witness for the Prosecution” develops, undermines, and complicates the characters; they constantly test Mr. Mayherne, leaving a trail of ambiguity to the end, making the murder impossible to solve, as there is no clear definition between truth and deception. The beginning of the story works to develop
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Towards the middle of the story, Leonard is no longer the main character and only mentioned in passing. Mr. Mayherne’s attention shifts to Romaine. Her volatile nature is shown later in her hatred towards her husband, “I would like to see him hanged by the neck till he is dead” (110). The reason for this is not disclosed, but it now gives her a motive should she need one. The assumption is that Leonard is the murderer with Mr. Mayherne believing him to be innocent; now Romaine distorts that, and further complicates the story. Furthermore, a severe lack of detail contributes to the undermining of Leonard and Romaine. As previously mentioned, Leonard is no longer an active character towards the end of the story and he simply serves as Mr. Mayherne’s motive to continue investigating the possibilities of his innocence. Ultimately, the solution comes to him in the form of a disfigured old woman, “Find out where she was twenty past ten, the time she says she was at home. Ask at the Lion Road Cinema” (114). This makes the case easier for Mr. Mayherne, as this means Romaine no longer has an alibi, making her unable to testify against her husband. It is almost too simple, and the question arises as to who this woman is, and what her motive is for knowing this information about Romaine. While new characters are constantly being introduced, they do not have much depth; instead, they are like game pieces, simply placed wherever when needed, and it keeps the story flowing while the truth is still difficult to
Towards the middle of the story, Leonard is no longer the main character and only mentioned in passing. Mr. Mayherne’s attention shifts to Romaine. Her volatile nature is shown later in her hatred towards her husband, “I would like to see him hanged by the neck till he is dead” (110). The reason for this is not disclosed, but it now gives her a motive should she need one. The assumption is that Leonard is the murderer with Mr. Mayherne believing him to be innocent; now Romaine distorts that, and further complicates the story. Furthermore, a severe lack of detail contributes to the undermining of Leonard and Romaine. As previously mentioned, Leonard is no longer an active character towards the end of the story and he simply serves as Mr. Mayherne’s motive to continue investigating the possibilities of his innocence. Ultimately, the solution comes to him in the form of a disfigured old woman, “Find out where she was twenty past ten, the time she says she was at home. Ask at the Lion Road Cinema” (114). This makes the case easier for Mr. Mayherne, as this means Romaine no longer has an alibi, making her unable to testify against her husband. It is almost too simple, and the question arises as to who this woman is, and what her motive is for knowing this information about Romaine. While new characters are constantly being introduced, they do not have much depth; instead, they are like game pieces, simply placed wherever when needed, and it keeps the story flowing while the truth is still difficult to