Michelle Yue English Mrs.

Hayes 11/26/13
Comparison Between The Murder of Roger Ackroyd and The Hound of the Baskervilles Agatha Christies The Murder of Roger Ackroyd and Sir Arthur Conan Doyles The Hound of the Baskervilles are both very thrilling mystery stories, despite the fact that they both have distinct similarities and differences. One needs to be insightful in their reading and elaborate to their full extent in order for the story to unwrap. The world is full of obvious things which nobody by any chance ever observes (Doyle 40) As The Murder of Roger Ackroyd and The Hound of the Baskervilles have different characteristics and story structures, they both use insightful strategies which make their stories effective, and the reader needs to be able to decide for themselves which novel is the most appealing. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd and The Hound of the Baskervilles are both very similar in many ways. For example, both novels are murder mysteries and the victims always die. In The Hound of the Baskervilles, Sir Charles sees a huge black creature, with its flaming jaws and blazing eyes, bounding after [him]. He fell dead at the end of the alley from heart disease and terror (Doyle 216). I n The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, the victim, Roger Ackroyd is stabbed from beind with a dagger. Furthermore, both of the stories are narrated in first person by the co-detective. This fact is proven in an example when Sherlock Holmes tells Watson, Re ally Watson, you excel yourself (Doyle 10), where Holmes is talking to the narrator, therefo re making it clear to the reader the story is told by Watson, the co-detective. In The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, the co-detective Dr. Sheppard is the narrator. This is plainly proven through the message Dr. Sheppard writes in the conclusion of the book. Dr. Sheppard writes in first person, and so therefore, he is relating to himself as the killer when he states that *he+ suppose*s+ *he+ must have meant to murder *Roger Ackroyd+ all along (Christie 276). Also, both of the detectives in the mysteries are very intent, intelligent, and interested in their work. When Dr. Mortimer narrates the scene of the moor to Holmes, Watson silently tells the reader that Holmes leaned forward in his excitement and his eyes had the hard dry glitter which shot from them when he was keenly interested (Doyle 32). Then, later in the novel while Watson, Holmes, and the little detective (Doyle 197), Lestrade wait for the hound to approach, Watson asks Holmes whether the fog, which was moving with a sluggish drift (Doyle 199) on the moor was serious, Holmes answers, Very serious indeed- the one thing upon Earth which could have disarranged my plans (Doyle 199). Also, When Poirot explains to Ackroyd his reflection which explained his footpath and thinking in how he solves the

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mystery, he narrates the whole truth in a very knowledgeable and orderly manner, which helps make the reader understand how all of the clues and actions of others relate to the solution. During the explanation, Poirot states that *he+ was convinced that it was amongst those present on the fatal evening that I had to look for my criminal. Therefore [he] concluded that the telephone call must have been sent by an accomplice (Christie 265), which proves the intelligence of Poirot and his reasoning. Another similarity between The Murder of Roger Ackroyd and The Hound of the Baskervilles is the setting in the early exposition, which takes place with two characters having small conversations in a small home in England in the early 1900s. In both mystery novels, the case is solved by a well known detective. Therefore, the crime is not left a mystery or unsolved and the murderers face a death penalty. Even though there are many similarities in these mystery books, there are also many differences, which give each book their originality and charm. For example, while the setting starts the same, in The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, the difference from The Hound of the Baskervilles is that there is only one setting, while in The Hound of the Baskervilles, there are two settings where one is in London, England, and the other is in Devonshire. Moreover, the killers between each novel have various motives. Stapleton in The Hound of the Baskervilles kills the Baskervilles because he wishes to inquire the inheritance of the wealth of the Baskervilles and of Baskerville hall. However, In The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, Dr. Sheppards motive on murdering Roger Ackroyd is that he is the one who blackmailed Mrs. Ferras, and Roger Ackroyd knows about this, so therefore Dr. Sheppard decides that it is unsafe for Roger Ackroyd to live, and he ends up killing Roger Ackroyd. In addition, the main detective in The Murder of Roger Ackroyd is Hercule Poirot, while the main detective in The Hound of the Baskervilles is Sherlock Holmes. While Sherlock Holmes and Poirot are both very well known detectives, they are not the same person, therefore, they use different thinking strategies. Additionally, the murderous actions are different in each book. In The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, the victim is murdered by a dagger from Dr. Sheppard, while in The Hound of the Baskervilles, Sir Charles dies from a deadly hound, owned by Stapleton. Also, the overall storyline is completely different, especially where the ending in The Murder of Roger Ackroyd is logical but surprising, and in The Hound of the Baskervilles, the evidence and murder suspect stays consistent throughout the story. According to Poirot throughout the book, *he+ seek*s+ for the truth-and the truth leads [him] every time to Ralph Paton. Motive,

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opportunity, means. (Christie 123-124) While in the end of the novel, Poirot concludes that the murderer is Dr. Sheppard. Whereas, In The Hound of the Baskervilles, the murderer idea stays consistent once Holmes knows and understands how all of the clues fit. The resolutions of each book are also notably different. For example, in The Hound of the Baskerville, the novel ends in a denouement, which is helpful in understanding the plot outline of all of the events, but does not have the same excitement as the previous occurring events where the whole story comes together. In The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, however, the novel ends in a personal statement made by Dr. Sheppard, which explains the sequence of events through his own perspective, and Agatha Christie ends the breathtaking mystery with decisions on Dr. Sheppards suicidal decisions, leaving the readers in suspense. Murder Mysteries all have similarities and differences and this is proven through the comparisons of Agatha Christies The Murder Of Roger Ackroyd and Sir Arthur Conan Doyles The Hound of the Baskervilles. Factors like plot structure, detective strategies, and setting all contribute to making mystery stories distinct. After reading each book and elaborating on their similarities and differences, the reader is able do decide for themselves which mystery novel appeals to them the most. References Doyle, Arthur Conan. The Hound of the Baskervilles. New York: Bantam Doubleday Dell Books for Young Readers, 1959. Print. Christie, Agatha. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd. New York: Harper Paperback, 1926. Print.