Misleading Stereotypes in Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express

Renowned Nigerian author Chinua Achebe once remarked, "The whole idea of a stereotype is to simplify" (BrainyMedia). Indeed, stereotypes are valuable as a way to avoid "long descriptive passages" which have no place in detective stories according to literary critic S.S. Van Dine (191). Agatha Christie employs stereotypes in her novel Murder on the Orient Express in order to suggest to the reader, without copious description, how each character's ethnicity or profession dictates his thinking and behavior. Contrary to popular belief, however, stereotypes can do much more than simplify a novel and can actually escalate the complexity of a narrative. Stereotypes can be imposed by the author, only to be later contradicted and revoked when the truth is revealed, thus making it difficult for the reader to identify truth versus fiction. In order to make the mystery novel Murder on the Orient Express challenging to solve, Christie exploits both character stereotypes and stereotypes of the mystery genre, by first crafting them in the context of the novel, then later revealing that the established stereotypes were, in fact, untrue.


While Miss Mary Debenham is portrayed as a most innocent young British lady, this stereotype is eventually overturned by Poirot's clever detective work. Despite creating a small commotion over the delay of her train very early in the book, Miss Debenham is portrayed as very harmless. During her initial interview with Poirot, "Her manner was as calm and unruffled as her hair" (145). M. Bouc discounts her involvement in the murder of Ratchett based upon his perception that she seems to be a "very charming young lady" (151). Dr. Constantine asserts, "She is cold. She has not emotions. She would not stab a man" (151). Besides the stereotype that a young lady would be unlikely to commit a cold-blooded murder, Christie also suggests that Debenham's nationality plays a part in her innocence. M. Bouc remarks that he does not see the "young English girl as criminal" (152). Though Bouc does not explicitly justify his reasoning by citing Debenham's nationality, his inclusion of her nationality can only suggest just that. While Debenham keeps herself rigidly aligned to her innocent stereotype for the majority of the novel, her downfall is inevitable. Her stern demeanor can restrain her emotion so long and under the inquisitive interrogation of Poirot the young English lady finally collapses, "dropping her face down upon her outstretched arms and crying as though her heart would break" (231). The truth is revealed; Debenham was indeed a key player in the murder of Ratchett. Christie constructs the stereotype of Mary Debenham to confuse the reader about the validity of Debenham's original testimony to Poirot and her involvement in the murder.


The character of Antonio Frascarelli, better know as "the Italian," is stereotyped unlike Mary Debenham in that his stereotype suggests a person more likely to be involved in Ratchett's murder (141). His appearance includes a "typical Italian face, sunny-looking and swarthy" (141). The Italian's appearance establishes the physical setting on which a stereotype will be imposed. Frascarelli explains himself as a man of "big business" (142). The way information "gushed out" of the Italian supports his stereotype as a chatty businessman (142). M. Bouc applies several stereotypes to the Italian in an attempt, as Achebe suggest, "to simplify" the dilemma of finding the murderer aboard the Orient Express. Anxious to find the culprit as quickly as possible, M. Bouc pushes the stereotype of the Italian further by asserting, "Italians use the knife!" (144). Furthermore, most likely in hoping to connect the Italian with the mob, and thus with the death of Daisy Armstrong, M. Bouc queries the Italian if he had "ever been in Chicago" (143). While Poirot indicates that there is no "Evidence against him or suspicious circumstances" besides the matter of the knife, Frascarelli is stereotyped as a person with a greater chance of being involved in the murder than the innocent Debenham (197). Like Mary Debenham, however, the Italian eventually loses his composure when Poirot correctly suggests his involvement in the murder of Ratchett: "The bluster went out of the big man... like a pricked balloon" (235). The Italian serves as a foil to the English Debenham. While Debenham's overt innocence causes the reader to caste a skeptical suspicion in her direction, the Italian's possible involvement in the murder seems too obvious because of the nature of his stereotype. Yet, as the reader observes in a tale such as Edgar Allan Poe's "The Purloined Letter" in which the missing letter is disguised and "hidden" in plain view, is anything too obvious for a mystery?


The American lady, Mrs. Hubbard, is even more socially flamboyant than Mr. Frascarelli and her character seems to possess little likelihood of being involved in Rachett's murder. Hubbard's manner is aggressive and controlling. The night of the murder, for example, the proportions of the exchange between she and the conductor "were ninety per cent of Mrs. Hubbard's to a soothing ten per cent of the conductor's" (43). The conductor suggests Mrs. Hubbard possesses a degree of mental instability, however, when he explains to Poirot, "she will not listen to reason" (43). The stereotype of her character is a loud, obnoxious, and self-centered woman. The reader would doubtfully suppose such a chatty, theatrical individual would be capable of cold-blooded murder. Further, Hubbard's apparent trepidation of blood is evident when she bursts into the dining car, cries out "A great knife - all over blood!", and then faints (165). At the conclusion of the novel, however, it turns out that Mrs. Hubbard is the great actress Linda Arden and played a central role in directing the murder of Ratchett. In hindsight, Hubbard's acting is more obvious, for example, when she pauses "to give dramatic emphasis to her words", but it is equally apparent how her acting deceived Poirot and the reader in uncovering the murder's solution (96). In the same way Christie uses the stereotypes of Debenham and the Italian, the stereotype of Mrs. Hubbard inhibits the objective, unbiased view of her character and testimony, which leads to difficultly when trying to assemble truth.


While the above three characters have various levels of suspicion cast in their direction, a stereotype of the suspectibility of characters in mystery genre plays a role in forming the reader's view of them. Van Dine's rule that "The culprit must be... one that wouldn't ordinarily come under suspicion" (191) causes the reader to look more closely at those characters who seem unlikely to be involved in the murder. Thus, this standard is the basis for the increased skepticism of Debenham and Hubbard, while it discounts the Italian's involvement due to his stereotype that suggests guilt rather than innocence. As the reader will ultimately learn, however, Christie departs from yet another stereotype of the mystery genre, that concerning the number of culprits, in order to counter this stereotype of suspectibility to which she does not conform.


Stereotypes in the novel are not solely restricted to specific characters. Besides these references, the stereotypical attitudes of Americans expressed by the other passengers aboard the Orient Express enable Christie to further confound the mystery's solution. Considering that the victim himself was an American, the general attitude of the other passengers toward Americans creates a mood which impacts the reader's view of Ratchett's murder. The testimonies of the characters of other nationalities reveal an attitude of disdain toward Americans. Upon rereading the story, the reader might even view this overt dislike of Americans as subtle evidence. Colonel Arbuthnot remarks, "I don't as a rule like Americans, haven't any use for 'em" (154-155). Particularly suspicious is the testimony of Ratchett's valet. He admitted he didn't "care too much for Americans," despite the the fact that he had never visited America (92). Rather than question these attitudes, the reader can simply accept them as common stereotypes. Thus, that the passengers react rather unemotionally to the news of Ratchett's death is more believable due to the passenger's expression of indifference or even dislike toward Americans. Thus, the collective attitude toward Americans lessens suspicion that might arise due to the fact that it would be difficult to imagine a person reacting indifferently to the announcement that a murder has been committed in such close proximity to himself. Hence, a clue to the solution of Rachett's murder is obscured by Christie's use of stereotypes in this way.


Perhaps even more effective than Christie's use character stereotypes in order to complicate the mystery is her departure from stereotypes of the mystery genre. The use of many culprits aboard the Orient Express departs from the typical detective novel in which there is only one criminal. Controversial as some of his rules may be, Van Dine's assertion that "there must be but one culprit" is quite commonly followed in detective fiction (191). Thus, mystery connoisseurs familiar with Van Dine's rules, as well as the conventions of the genre, may go so far as to entirely discount the scenario that nearly all of the passengers are involved in the murder. Murder on the Orient Express attempts to focus attention on the individual by titling each chapter as the name of a suspect. In this way, the passengers are viewed as individual entities rather than as a collective group. Besides Christie's rejection of Van Dine's rule regarding the number of culprits, her intent to provide "the reader [with an] equal opportunity for solving the mystery" is also questionable (189). Though there is some extent of deception in most detective fiction, the truth in M. Bouc's inquiry "'But does everybody on this train tell lies?'" does make it rather difficult for the reader to deduce the solution (233). Ultimately, however, the deception of each character adds to the realism of the novel, rather than detracting from its plausibility. Christie adds to the complexity of the plot by featuring a path to the solution which breaks with several stereotypical guidelines to the detective tale.


Christie's clever employment of stereotypes is two-fold. On one hand, stereotyping the characters makes it easier for the reader to visualize them without extensive description, which in turn allows the novel to progress more quickly. However, Christie also imposes stereotypes upon her characters as a façade, only to later contradict them when truth is revealed. Her departure from the typical detective fiction novel enables the creation of a unique and complex tale. The challenge in solving Murder on the Orient Express lies in the ability to consider all possible solutions, not merely those that are commonplace in the detective genre. Cheated and betrayed as the reader might feel after being fooled by such a solution, Christie's novel serves as a fresh reminder that not all novels conform to strict bounds developed by the authorities of literary criticism.


Works Cited

BrainyMedia. BrainyQuote. 2005. 1 Oct. 2005. http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/c/chinuaache181261.html.
Christie, Agatha. Murder on the Orient Express. New York: Pocket Books, 1960.
Van Dine, S.S. "Twenty Rules for Writing Detective Stories."