Cards on the Table Literary Elements

A detective novel

England 1936 year

Third-person narration

On account of the detective genre, the mood in the novel is very mysterious; every phrase has some hidden hint. There are more questions than answers, atmosphere is full of riddles. Every time the reader feels tension and tries to predict the possible finale.

The protagonist is Poirot and Antagonist is the killer.

The major conflict is between Shaitana and not only the killer, but between him and all his illusions about people he invited to his house. Nobody liked him, but despite of it they, the most insidious and double-tongued people, come to his house and a final of such a meeting is intended – the murder.

The climax happens when the most quiet character, who was not supposed to be a killer, Ann Meredith, throws her best friend into the water during boating. Everybody were there on the bank of the river and saw that.

The author gives a foreshadowing almost at the beginning of the story, when characters are playing the Bridge and talking about poisons that doctors often use to kill their patients.

The dialogue between detective and Mrs. Meredith is very understated, she was represented as almost a saint person, however it is far from truth.

The story alludes to Mephistopheles and Sherlock Holmes.

Used in descriptions of details the imagery becomes the main literary device to show the crime scene, and all the details that are of little importance to the characters, but of great to Poirot

One paradox is in the fact that a doctor is a killer. A doctor is supposed to treat people and make them healthy, but not to be a serial killer.

The investigations of the murder by Poirot and by detective Battle are happening in parallel.

“A fine mustache - a very fine mustache - the only mustache in London, perhaps, that could compete with that of Monsieur Hercule Poirot.” The synecdoche is used concerning Poirot

Mrs. Shaitana is personificated into Mephistopheles.