A Study Of Biblical Archetypes In Murder On The Orient Express

Agatha Christie is recognized as Queen of Crime.Murder on the Orient Express is one of her most representative works,which is about a long and difficult journey that the detective Poirot detected a murder on the orient express.Since Murder on the Orient Express is treated as a classic detective novel,scholars at home and abroad have attempted to study on it in various aspects.Why is this fiction still popular today? Why can it stir readers deeply? Why can feelings that Agatha expresses give consolation to people in the modern society?According to the research,it is found that there are a number of biblical archetypes which make it everlasting charming and attractive to readers.Therefore,this thesis attempts to analyze this fiction from the perspective of Northrop Frye’s archetypal criticism,aiming at probing its profound meanings.The thesis is composed of three parts.The first part presents the background,significance,purpose and questions of the study.It includes the historical literature review on archetypal criticism and Agatha Christie’s works including Murder on the Orient Express at home and abroad.Also it briefly introduces the theory of archetypal criticism.The second part is chapter four,which is the main body of the thesis.First of all,this chapter aims at analyzing the biblical archetypes of characters.The archetypes of the detective Poirot and the victim Ratchett can be respectively traced back to Jesus and Satan,while the twelve avengers,like The Twelve in the Bible,stand for the jury to make the right judgment for Ratchett and seek the justice.In addition,this chapter explores the recurring images.With the feature of baptism,snow in the Bible is the symbol of purity and the indication of judgment,which is also reflected perfectly in this fiction.The characteristic of the evidence of the twelve avengers is totally the same as the forbidden fruit in the Bible,which can push the development of plots.Besides,this chapter expounds the narrative structures,including the mythoi of four seasons and the U-shaped pattern,which are also faultlessly in character with Frye’s archetypal criticism.Last but not least,this chapter makes a deep discussion on the archetypal themes: sin and punishment,the quest for truth and justice.From the characters to the themes the thesis explores these archetypes one by one,aiming to present its profound meanings to readers.The third part is conclusion.Chapter five first illustrates the main findings and emphasizes the significance of the archetypes in Murder on the Orient Express.Moreover,the limitations and suggestions for further study are also presented.It can be concluded that,by using biblical archetypes,in Murder on the Orient Express,Agatha not only makes the plots more vivid,but also expresses the themes of people’s questfor truth,the spiritual needs of truth and punishment for evil,and the idea that justice must prevail,which satisfy readers’ expectations and resonates with them many different meanings.