The Mystery of Mrs. Christie

Analyze one of the references to legend or mythology in the novel. Explore the history of the particular legend or myth discussed. How does the allusion to the myth you’ve chosen add meaning to the novel, particularly regarding the way in which Agatha’s own disappearance is mythologized?

The Mystery of Mrs. Christie is full of unreliable narrators with conflicting viewpoints. Are there any characters whose points of view are portrayed as trustworthy? If so, who and why? Does the novel provide the reader with any other tools to aid in Differentiating Fact From Fiction?

Agatha reflects at length on how Archie is changed by his time fighting in World War I. How is Agatha herself changed by wartime? Support your argument with examples from the text.

Agatha says that “ambition is a dirty word when it’s used by women” (171). Discuss the ways her ambition is revealed in “The Manuscript” sections, despite her efforts to hide it? How does the pervasiveness of her ambition affect the presentation of the “perfect wife” persona Agatha attempts to cultivate in those sections?

In Part 2, Agatha thinks of Reggie Lucy, her first fiancé: “How different my life would have been had I married that kindly man instead of Archie. Never would my life have devolved in this way. But I may never have transformed into the strong, talented woman I’ve had to become” (170). Does the novel support the idea that Agatha’s talent is a product of hardship experienced in her marriage? If not, in what ways does the novel contradict this notion?

Mummy wishes Agatha to marry Reggie because their families know one another. Looking at Agatha’s decision to marry for love and Madge’s arranged marriage, how does the novel characterize The Promise and Peril of Marriage within the binary of romance versus social connection and financial stability? What perspective does the novel seem to endorse? Cite specific examples from the text to support your argument.

Consider how Mummy treats Agatha and how Agatha treats Rosalind. What is the novel’s perspective on mothering and motherhood, and how does it adhere to or conflict with the “perfect wife” persona that is alternately espoused and critiqued by different characters in the text?

Before they are married, Agatha thinks that Archie has never belonged to a community (38). Discuss the value of community, as presented by the novel. Consider Agatha’s family, the public, the press, etc., in your answer.