Analysis Of Witness For The Prosecution

The short story, Witness for the Prosecution is a murder mystery written by Agatha Christi. This story centers around a man named Leonard Vole who is charged for the murder of a rich, eccentric woman named Emily French. Suspicions were raised against Vole when French’s maid, Janet Mackenzie places him at the house at the time of the murder and he is named the primary heir to the estate. The only person who can give him an alibi is his wife Romaine Heilger but, she despises him and ends up being a witness for the prosecution. Fortunately, his lawyer, Mr. Mayherne receives a letter that ruins Romaine’s testimony and takes the focus away from Vole. The jury finds Vole innocent, however, Mr. Mayherne soon realizes that justice has not been served.

Christi uses these conflicts to pull readers into the story.

The first conflict Vole faces is with the justice system. He has been charged with a murder he claims he didn’t commit. His lawyer, Mr. Mayherne, fears the evidence against his client looks very grave and he believes he is guilty. However, his job is to build the best defense possible. He knows prosecutors will question the relationship of a young man with an older woman. They will try to prove that Vole, who is poor, was seeking the company of the wealthy woman to take advantage of her. Vole claims he could not refuse her requests for his company because she seemed lonely and after some time he became fond of her. In fact, she reminded him of his aunt who had passed away. Mr. Mayherne is very concerned that Vole was handling Ms. French’s finances and was named as primary heir to

This conflict presents itself when Mr. Mayherne meets with Romaine to discuss her husband’s alibi. She despises her husband and seems to be scheming a plan to get rid of him. She states, “… would like to see him hanged by the neck till he is dead.” Vole’s lawyer is shocked by this woman’s outburst and feels like, “She was trumping up the whole story”, and he realizes he cannot put her on the witness stand because she would certainly sink his client. Since they were married, Mayherne explains, “You cannot be asked to give evidence against your husband—". Romaine shocks him by revealing that they are not married. She is an actress from Vienna and they could not marry because she is still married to a man in a mental institution. When Vole is informed of Romaine’s response he does not seem surprised and this makes Mayherne a little suspicious. Romaine becomes a witness for the prosecution and the case seems doomed. One evening, Mr. Mayherne receives a note from someone who claims to have evidence that will discredit Romaine. He meets with a mysterious older woman who has letters from Romaine which reveal she has a lover and wants to get rid of Vole. When this is revealed in court her testimony is thrown out. The Jury quickly returns with a not guilty verdict. Mayherne is ready to congratulate his client he notices Romaine’s, “…right hand clenching and unclenching itself unconsciously all the time.” He