Christie's Presentation of Wealth, Capitalism, and Class Structure in 'The Murder of Roger Ackroyd' Amy Jenkinson 12th Grade

Although Agatha Christie’s novels are known for their simple and traditional detective formula, ‘The Murder of Roger Ackroyd’ explores quite complex themes; most significantly, class. The victim, Roger Ackroyd, is a conventional victim for a detective story from the golden age of detective fiction, as they were typically of a higher class (and similarly so was the criminal) so that the issue of the crime would focus on a less complex idea, such as working class envy of the upper classes. Golden age detective fiction often emphasised simplicity, as its puzzle-solve formula was a stark contrast to the confusion and horror of WWI, in which there were no easy puzzles to be solved and no crimes that could be punished. In spite of this, money itself is still incredibly important. Ackroyd’s position as a wealthy man in turn makes him a target to those with less (which would likely be those of a lower class, but golden age writing rarely centred on class-based crimes) – so in turn, his murder is a result of the capitalist society in which the novel is set. However, his death is not a result of his wealth, but rather, his near-discovery of Sheppard’s blackmailing of Mrs. Ferrars for money. So rather it is Mrs. Ferrars’ wealth that makes...