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.

Themes

The Human Capacity for Evil

A recurring theme in The Murder of Roger Ackroyd is that all people demonstrate a capacity for evil actions. None of the characters are inherently malicious people, but each comes across hard times in one way or another. In response to their difficult situations, each character acts in a way they may not otherwise. Poirot sets the stage for considering the motives and capacity of each character in the Chapter 17 allegory of the man who gets greedy and kills because of it. It is not the story of Paton nor is it the story of Sheppard. Instead, it is the story of humanity, and several characters express this capacity to different extents.

To a lesser extent, Agatha Christie represents this theme in the character Flora Ackroyd. She expresses the difficulties of her life to Poirot when he confronts her:

You don’t know what my life has been like since I came here. Wanting things, scheming for them, lying, cheating, running up bills, promising to pay—oh! I hate myself when I think of it all (217).

The hardships Flora Ackroyd faces are not uncommon. It is natural for people to want things and to plan how to achieve or acquire them.

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