47 pages 1 hour read

Agatha Christie

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1926

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Character Analysis

Hercule Poirot

Hercule Poirot is a retired detective from Belgium who serves as the novel’s protagonist. He appears in Chapter 3 but is not prominent in the narrative until Chapter 7. Agatha Christie describes Poirot as a man with an “egg-shaped head, partially covered with suspiciously black hair, two immense moustaches, and a pair of watchful eyes” (19). He takes great pride in his physical appearance, particularly his moustaches. However, he takes even more pride in his intellect.

Poirot’s colleagues underestimate him due to his eccentric approach. He flits around, asks odd questions, pays attention to unrelated details, and somehow puts together the pieces in a way nobody can understand. His oddness allows him to ask questions and get answers that others cannot. By acquiring this information, Poirot can piece together a case from details and information that, to an outsider, seem disconnected.

Christie acknowledged that Poirot was based on Arthur Conan Doyle’s character Sherlock Holmes. Poirot plays the Holmesian role of a brilliant but eccentric detective. Like Holmes, he always has a friend to keep notes and help with the investigations and a police officer who does not trust his methods. The author challenges the Holmesian approach by having Poirot explain in detail how he arrives at every deduction throughout the case rather than all at the end.

Related Titles

By Agatha Christie

Study Guide

logo

A Murder Is Announced

Agatha Christie

A Murder Is Announced

Agatha Christie

Study Guide

logo

A Pocket Full of Rye

Agatha Christie

A Pocket Full of Rye

Agatha Christie

Study Guide

logo

Murder at the Vicarage

Agatha Christie

Murder at the Vicarage

Agatha Christie

Study Guide

logo

Murder on the Orient Express

Agatha Christie

Murder on the Orient Express

Agatha Christie

Plot Summary

logo

Poirot Investigates

Agatha Christie

Poirot Investigates

Agatha Christie

Study Guide

logo

The Mysterious Affair at Styles

Agatha Christie

The Mysterious Affair at Styles

Agatha Christie

Study Guide

logo

The Pale Horse

Agatha Christie

The Pale Horse

Agatha Christie