This novel has been analysed by Tri Mulyati and Siswo Husodo
“WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION”
Agatha Christie
· Synopsis
Mr. Mayherne , a solicitor who is very high in reputation, takes Leonard Vole on as a client. Leonard Vole is accused of murdering Mrs. Emily French, a rich, older woman in her home. Miss. French had fallen in love with him. When she was murdered, it was found that she left a will under which Vole was the principal beneficiary. All of circumstantial evidence exists against Vole, including a motive: even though he has married, he frequently visited the victim. In addition, he had visited Miss. French just before she was killed. The only alibi Vole can provide is based on his wife Romaine’s testimony. Mr. Mayherne is greatly surprised when Romaine, who is Austrian, appears as witness not for defense but for the prosecution. While a wife cannot testify against her husband, it is shown that Romaine was still married to another man when she wed Vole. She testifies that Vole admitted to her that he had killed Miss. French, and that finally her conscience forced her to tell the truth.
During the trial, Mr. Romaine is contacted by a mysterious woman, who for a fee provides him with letters written by Romaine to a mysterious lover named Max. This correspondence gives her such a strong motive to lie that the jury finds Leonard not guilty. However, Mr. Mayherne is troubled by the verdict. His instincts tell him that it was too tidy and too neat. Then he sees Romaine Heilger face to face. Finally, she tells him the whole thing. When she heard him say at the beginning that a wife’s testimony would not be convincing, she decided to set it up so that hers would be for the prosecution and then be discredited. Romaine had played the part of the mystery women so well that Mr. Mayherne did not recognize her when he negotiated for the letters. She knew that Leonard Vole was guilty. Her testimony was the truth. Her letters are a falsehood. In fact, Max never existed.
· Setting
The story was started in a law office. In flashback, the setting was in Oxford Street, and then moved to George Harvey’s party. The murder was in Miss. French’s house in Cricklewood at a half past nine p.m. Then the setting changed to a small shabby house near Paddington Green. Afterwards, it was situated in Shaw’s Rents Stepney and moved to the cinema in Lion Road. The story was ended in British courtroom.
· Characters
The author used telling method to describe the characters in the story.
ü The main character:
Leonard Vole.
He was the client of Mr. Mayherne. He was seeking help when he went to trial for murder. He was a young man, thirty-three, good-looking, fond of sport, popular with his friend. He was one of friends of Miss Emily French, and when she was murdered, he received a will under which he was the principal beneficiary.
ü The supporting characters:
1. Mr. Mayherne
Mr. Mayherne was a solicitor. He was a small man, precise in manner, neatly, not to say foppishly dressed, with a pair of very shrewd and piercing gray eyes.
2. Miss Emily French
Miss Emily French was a rich, eccentric older woman who made Vole the main beneficiary of her will.
3. Janet Mackenzie
She was the maid of Miss Emily French who became one of witness.
4. George Harvey
George Harvey was Miss Emily French’s friend who held a party in which Vole met Miss French for the second time.
5. Romaine Heilger
Romaine Helger was Leonard Vole’s wife. She was very quiet woman. She has high cheekbones, dense blue-black of the hair and an occasional very slight movement of the hands. She was the only hope to bear testimony for her husband in the court room.
6. Miss French’s nephew
7. Mrs. Mogson
Mrs. Mogson was the person who sent Mr. Mayherne a letter. She was a woman of middle age figure, with a mass of untidy gray hair and a scarf wound tightly around her face.
8. The Commissionaire
9. Sir Charles
· Plot
1. Exposition
The story began when Mr. Mayherne interviewed Leonard Vole to collect circumstantial evidence of the murder. He asked him how he could make the acquaintance of Miss. Emily French. In form of flashback, Vole described how he met and knew Miss. French.
2. Complication
The complication started when Mr. Mayherne told Vole that the maid, Janet Mackenzie, swore that Vole had known that Miss. French left a will under which he was the principal beneficiary.
3. Crisis / Climax
The crisis happened when Mr. Mayherne got a letter from the mysterious woman, Mrs. Mogson, in Shaw’s Rent Stepney.
4. Falling Action
Mr. Mayherne noticed Romaine Heilger’s weird habit in the courtroom, that is, her right hand clenching and unclenching itself unconsciously all the time.
5. Resolution
Romaine confessed that her letters are a falsehood, that Max never existed and that Leonard Vole was guilty.
· Theme
The theme of this story is intrigue.
· Point of view
The point of view of this story is omniscient point of view.
· Symbols
The symbol of this story was pince-nez wore by the solicitor. Mr. Mayherne always adjusted his pince-nez when he was staring and questioning people. It was ostensibly the symbol for the truth, but it didn’t work. Pince-nez symbolized the idea that there is no certainty about the truth.
· Tone
The tone of the story is tricky, sly and devious.
· Message
We should not trust someone easily.
