As I was reading The Mousetrap yesterday, I was surprised by how engrossed I became in the story. I felt an urge to quickly flip the pages and discover who was at the core of the mystery that was unravelling before my eyes in a way that I had not while reading Mademoiselle de Scudery or even Murders in the Rue Morgue. This led me to think about why exactlyThe Mousetrap intrigued me and why it has continued to intrigue people for over 60 years. Was it the plot, the writing style, the characters? After pondering the subject, I came to the conclusion that the story has been such a success due to the fact that one feels as though they are a part of a challenging game that they are able to win while reading or watching the play.
As we discussed in class today, one of the characteristics of the detective novel that evolved during The Golden Age was that the novel was supposed to be formulated into a sort of game. The reader was supposed to be given the chance to figure out whom the murderer was along with why he or she committed the crime. In my opinion, Agatha Christie perfected this approach in The Mousetrap. Unlike in some detective novels, where only a few of the numerous characters are truly focused on or characterized well, Christie pays equal attention to each on of the people that are trapped in Monkswell Manor. This more intimate approach allows the reader to feel as though he or she has enough information to accurately predict whom the murderer is, and as though he or she is an active participant in the game that Christie creates. Additionally, Christie utilizes red herrings extremely well, which causes the reader to question each and every individual and once again keeps the reader invested in the story. In one scene, the reader may think that Christopher is the murderer, while in the next a clue may arise that causes the reader to think that Paravicini is the murderer. Therefore, an exciting game of ‘whodunnit’ is created. Finally, the fact that the murderer is someone that numerous people would not necessarily expect adds to the overall satisfaction felt upon reading or watching the play and provides a worthwhile conclusion to the “game”. Even though the reader may have technically “lost” , he or she still feels happy because they were properly challenged and entertained. No one likes a mystery that is too easily solved after all.
Essentially, The Mousetrap felt like a game of Clue to me to some extent, where I was competing with the characters in the story to try to guess who committed the murder and how. I wasn’t once bored while reading the play, and while this may also be a byproduct of the succinct writing style, I believe it was more so due to the way the plot allows the reader to feel as though they have an active role in the story. It’s because of this, that I wouldn’t be surprised if The Mousetrap is still playing at St. Martin’s Theatre in another 60 years from now.
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