Synopsis
Cast of Characters
1. The Energetic Young Woman. Gwenda, Miss Marple's friend . She came to the house as a secretary for Leo, and then in a fairy-tale romance after Rachel died, she fell in love with Leo and they were set to be married. Tragically, she was murdered
2. The Efficient Professional. Without stretching things too far, there is a sense that Gwenda was the Efficient Professional during her early life as Leo's secretary.
3.5 The Cloud-headed Girl. Hester. "Who is the weakest in this family, Miss Marple?" "Mother had been bullying her for years" "Animals don't have money, do they?" - Hester as she teeters on the edge of the dock. She literally has no mooring.
5. The Lawyer. Bobby, The man of finance who takes care of the estate. but like all such people in this position of trust, he has squandered the family fortune badly and is reduced to selling the family's silver to make up his shortfalls.
7. The Specialist. Mr Croker, the private detective who discovered Philip's womanizing
8. The Policeman. Inspector Huish
9. The Temptrix. Jacko's wife, Maureen. She is one of Christie's classic characters, but subverted. We expect her to be common and a gold digger, and yet she was a normal person, faithful wife, and abused by her husband.
10. The Rake. Mr. Philip Durant the pilot. The private investigator Mother Rachel hired was easily able to find information about numerous infidelities. It is suggested that even from the wheelchair, Philip was pushing a relationship with the young Hester.
11. The Rival. Jacko. "Women had a thing for him. He could play them like a piano." It wasn't that Jacko was a rival to the Rake, or even any one person. He was emblematic of the trouble and irresponsibility that the family suffered from.
12. The Mirror. The two twins, Bobby and Jacko. Where one is a gambler and an irresponsible wastrel, the other is a financial man in London, even though they were both brought up in identical circumstances. And yet, according to Miss Marple, "It seems to me that the twins, Bobby and Jacko, were more alike than anybody realized."
13. The Loving/Lonely Wife. Mrs Durant, who knew about her husband's philandering, and now is forced to take care of him since he's been confined to a wheelchair by polio
14. The Housekeeper Kirstin Lindstrom. "I am the eyes of this house. I see what I'm not supposed to see." Miss Marple: "Who considers herself to be the real mother of these children? The one who gave them the sort of unconditional love they were so badly short of?"
17. The Cantankerous Old Woman/ Cruel Old Man. The Mother, Rachel Argyle. Outwardly she appears to be a loving mother who adopted five children over the course of her life. Inwardly, she was a terrible mother, and ruled her children's lives with an iron fist. Many of them grew up to be less than satisfactory and deeply unhappy because of her cruelty.
18. The Dubious Man from India - The Overseas Connection. Dr. Calgary (named after a city in Canada). He was Jocko's alibi but the next day sailed for the arctic on a two year expedition. He only arrived recently with the news about Jocko
3. The Batty Eccentric.
4. The Doctor.
6. The Vicar.
15. The Maid.
16. The Daughter.
19. The Politician.
20. The Industrialist.
21. The Social Outcast.
22. The Shopkeeper.
A. The Time Gap. Two years ago, the fateful argument and the mothers murder took place. Ever since that event, the family has been living in unease and suspicion. At that time, Jacko's alibi, the scientist, had left for a two-year expedition to the arctic, symbolically putting a freeze on all the happenings of the household. When he returned, his actions set all the misery to begin to thaw and all the emotions were still raw and undimmed by time.
B. The Ominous Event. Rachel Argyle, the mother of the house of adoptees was murdered. After a short investigation and speedy trial, Jocko was executed for the murder.
C. The Obscure Relationship. Although legally brother and sister, Mickey and Tina Argyle were carrying on a relationship in secret in a room they had taken in town. Because both were adopted from different families, there was technically nothing immoral about their affair.
D. The Convoluted Will. There is no mention of a will, but the mother Rachel left all her money in a Trust, to be administered by Bobby Argyle. All the family funds were tied up in this trust, and Bobby's unwillingness to disburse it led to considerable consternation among parts of the family. It also perpetuated the situation where the family was locked together, unable to move on and live separate lives.
E. The House. In a classic Christie confined space, the house named Sunny Point is located on an island. The only access is by small rowboats that the family are accustomed to plying across the water. However, during the thunderstorms common to the area the crossing can be difficult.
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