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Storytellers

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Submitted By jona4824
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2f Assignment 4
Choose either A or B
”A Chess Problem”
“A Chess Problem” from 1920 is one of Agatha Christie’s classic crime stories in which Hastings narrates the story of how Poirot uses his logical powers to solve the mystery of an incomprehensible crime. This plot defines the different main characters such as the head detective, the detective’s friend and the material for plots which characterize “The Golden Age” of crime fiction. As readers we all know that we’re playing the same role as the detective’s friend, because we’re asking the same questions as the detective’s friend, in this case, Hastings. This essay will take a closer look at the main characters and how they characterize “The Golden Age.”
This paragraph represents the classic roles in a partnership from “The Golden Age” of crime fiction: “Poirot examined the table with what seemed to me quite unnecessary attention.” (Page 50, l. 19 – 20) According to Hastings, Poirot is paying unnecessary attention to the table. Hastings doesn’t think that Poirot’s examination has any relevance for the detection of the case, but Poirot was exactly on the scent of a very important clue. This paragraph testifies the roles between the omniscient detective and the detective’s friend, because Hastings doesn’t discover the importance of the chess table. The author exhibits Hastings as the less intelligent person in the partnership, and thereby he makes Poirot’s brilliant intelligence shine through even more. This partnership is therefore one of the classic characteristics from “The Golden Age.”
The story also provides detailed descriptions of the story’s main characters and does it in a way so the reader can relate to the genre; crime fiction. Therefore the reader gets the description of Poirot through Hastings’ observations of him, which appears in this paragraph: “It was so long since he had shown any interest over any outside case that I was quite rejoiced to see him back in his old form again.” (Page 47, l. 13 - 15) In this paragraph the reader gets the impression of Poirots being a detective who has a certain excitement about his job. This information is caused by Hastings observations of Poirot, and therefore Hastings plays a very important role in the characterization of Poirot. So you could say that Hastings’ character ensure a good understanding of Poirot as a person seeing him through an ordinary person’s view.

As Hastings is being an ordinary person he asks the questions the reader would often like to ask, which makes Poirots logical mind shine through even more: “Why,” I cried, “you forgot to give it back to Dr. Savaronoff.” “You are in error my friend.”(Page 53, l. 17 - 18) In this paragraph the author exhibits Hastings as the less intelligent person. Hastings doesn’t understand why Poirot kept the bishop, and the author shows his confused mind about this case. He’s asking the same questions as the reader would have done, and therefore he clarifies the plot by giving the reader clues which can point the reader in right direction. You can draw a parallel between Watson and Hastings as they’re both a bit confused compared to the head detectives. They’re therefore forced to ask some questions, but this does exactly characterize the detective’s friend from “The Golden Age” of crime fiction.
The crime story “A Chess Problem” definitely contains certain elements, which characterize the “The Golden Age” of crime fiction. First of all the partnership plays a very big role in the story, where the author gives us an insight into their partnership and how Poirot and Hastings supply each other. You can’t describe Poirot without his partner Hastings and vice versa. Hastings’ wondering questions light up Poirots’ intelligence, and he’s thereby exhibited as the less intelligent person who appeals to the readers. He appears as the typical partner or the detective’s friend, which is a classic characteristic for “The Golden Age” of crime fiction. The author of the story has given Hastings the role of making Poirot appear clever, and therefore they illustrate each other qualities and differences. These examples are shown as well in “The Cardboard Box”, because we observe the same things, when we look at the characters in the two crime stories.

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