D
e a t h
o n
t h e
What motivates a murderer? Is it greed? Is it lust? Power?
Revenge? The question of murder always goes back to
the early chapters of Genesis, when the first murder occurred. Every murderer is a Cain and under the curse of
God. Every murder victim is an Abel whose blood cries
out to God for justice.
Cain was the first son of Adam. The promise of God
had been that a Seed would come from Eve and crush
the head of the serpent, but instead of her firstborn seed
crushing the serpent, he embraced the serpent. Instead
of ruling over evil, Cain invited the evil in, and he was
cursed like the dragon before him and driven from the
land of the living.
The name Adam literally
means “man,” and frequently
in the Old Testament,
a “son
of
N
i l e
Adam” is translated “son of man.” To label someone a
son of Adam, a son of man, is to label him as Cain, a son
of the Fall, a murderous brother.
There was another Son of Man who was also born of
a woman, but this Cain ruled over the sin that crouched
at His door. This Cain did not allow the dragon in; this
Cain fought the dragon and
won. But this Cain became an
Abel, and was slain for all
the sons of Adam. And
when this Cain died,
He took all evil
and sin into
Himself,
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IV
and He took it into Himself not so that it could find a
home but so that it might finally be destroyed. For when
this Son of Man died, sin died with Him.
Death on the Nile is in many ways a traditional detective mystery novel. We know that someone is going to
be murdered. But every good murder mystery is always a
faint reflection of the story of history. It’s always a story of
the murderer being revealed, justice being done, and the
wisdom and wit of the hero leading us to the truth.
She was the writer of many great mysteries and so created many great characters. Her other great detective is
Miss Jane Marple, an elderly lady in a small English village, who most people ignore as a doddering senior citizen but who always finds the killer.
Much of Agatha Christie’s life and experiences are
seen in the settings and characters of her novels. She
traveled extensively, and even some of the more difficult experiences of her life can be found as echoes in
her novels. Christie lived through both World Wars and
witnessed the many challenges and transitions of those
periods. She served as a nurse during World War I and
found it very rewarding. Some years after the war her
eneral nformation
first husband was unfaithful and divorced her.
Author and Context
She married Max Mallowan, an archaeologist, in 1930. Knowledge of medicine,
Agatha Mary Clarissa Miller was
wounds, history, not to mention perborn on September 15, 1890, the
sonal experience with love and
third child of a fairly affluent fambetrayal, are significant themes
ily. While she would not have
in a number of Christie novels,
been old enough at the time to
Death on the Nile no less than
appreciate them, her family’s
others.
dinner parties included such
Christie was wildly popuesteemed literary giants as
lar and successful during
Henry James and Rudyard
her own lifetime, and is still
Kipling. Her father died
known for the eighty myswhen she was eleven, leavtery novels she wrote and a
ing the family in a hard
number of highly successspot, and eventually she and
ful stage plays. Her stage
her mother moved to Egypt
play
Mousetrap is the lonand rented out their home
gest
running
play ever, still
in England. She married
running
as
of
this writing.
Archibald Christie in 1914.
Christie
received
a number of
While she would eventually
awards
during
her
life: a Combe known formally as Lady
mander
of
the
Order
of the BritMallowan (taking her second
ish
Empire
in
1956,
President
of
husband’s last name), she has althe
Detection
Club
in
1957,
a
Dame
ways been known popularly around
Agatha
Commander of the Order of the Britthe world as Agatha Christie and playChristie
ish
Empire in 1971. Agatha Christie died
fully as the Duchess of Death. She also
on
January
12, 1976.
authored romances under the pseudonym
Mary Westmacott. Christie’s first novel was The Mysterious Affair at Styles, published in 1920, which introduced
and started the career of her fictional Belgian detective Significance
hero Hercule Poirot (pronounced “Airkewl Pwa-ro”) who Agatha Christie deserves recognition for the broad
would go on to star in 33 novels and 54 short stories. By popularity and appeal she had throughout so much of
the end of the 1930s she would begin to grow tired of the twentieth century. Guinness Book of World Records
Poirot, but she is said to have been concerned to please ranks her with William Shakespeare as having sold more
the public who so enjoyed the character. As the final epi- books than any other author. It lists only the Bible as havsode in the Poirot series, she wrote Curtain during World ing more sales. John Dickson Carr, a celebrated detective
War II, but it was sealed in a bank vault for over thirty novelist, judged Death on the Nile to be among the ten
years until 1975.
greatest mystery novels of all time.
Poirot, however, is not Christie’s only great detective. Christie herself noted Death on the Nile as holding a
G
I
Death on the Nile
special place in her own mind: “I think, myself, that the
book is one of the best of my ‘foreign travels’ ones. I think
the central situation is intriguing and has dramatic possibilities, and the three characters, Simon, Linnet, and
Jacqueline, seem to me to be real and alive.”1 Death on
the Nile not only enjoys favorite status by Christie, but it
is also the favorite of many fans and critics alike. Today
there are Death on the Nile Cruises which offer the opportunity for vacationers to not only enjoy a cruise on the
Nile, but also the intrigue and fun of a murder mystery
aboard the ship. Actors and actresses play their parts
aboard the cruisers, and vacationers are called on to act
as detectives to solve the crime.
Summary and Setting
As has already been noted, the rich and beautiful
Linnet Ridgeway steals the fiancé of her best friend, Jacqueline de Bellefort. The Doyles are on their honeymoon
in Egypt, taking a cruise on the Nile, and to their great
dismay they are being stalked by Jacqueline. And the rest
of the colorful cast aboard the Karnak brings a host of
their own tangles with them. After Jacqueline finally does
seem to crack, pulling out a gun and shooting Simon in
the leg, she is taken back to her room and kept under observation. The next morning Linnet Doyle is found dead
in her cabin, shot in the head.
Main Characters
As might be expected, Hercule Poirot, the careful and
brilliant detective, is the most important character in the
novel. In the opening chapter we are introduced to Linnet
Ridgeway (later Linnet Doyle) by two townsfolk discussing
her wealth and her beauty. Her best friend, Jacqueline de
Bellefort, has fallen on hard times in the aftermath
of the great stock market crash, and she appears
early in the story looking for employment for
her fiancé, Simon Doyle. Part 1 ends with
the news spreading that the rich and lovely
Linnet Ridgeway has married Simon Doyle and is
honeymooning in Egypt.
In fact, as Part 2 opens,
we find the Doyles aboard
the S.S. Karnak along with
a number of other passengers:
Mrs. Allerton and her son, Tim; Linnet’s maid, Louise Bourget; Miss Van
Schuyler and her niece, Cornelia Robson;
Miss Schuyler’s nurse, Miss Bowers; Salome
Otterbourne and her daughter, Rosalie; Linnet’s American lawyer and trustee, Andrew
Pennington; a mysterious man named Mr. Ferguson; the archaeologist Signor Richetti; the silent
man James Fanthorp; the Austrian Dr. Bessner; and
Jacqueline De Bellefort. We meet Joanna Southwood
in the first couple of chapters, and we know that she has
a somewhat mysterious relationship with Tim Allerton.
Colonel Race, a government agent, is also aboard the Karnak tracking an anonymous terrorist of sorts. He becomes
the assistant of Poirot as the mystery unfolds.
Not to be confused with the hero of our story, Hercules displays amazing feats of strength on this red-figure vase painting. Hercule Poirot, on the other hand, amazes us with intellectual feats using his “little grey cells.”
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IV
While the setting does not appear to play an absolutely essential role in the story, it is nevertheless notable. One aspect of this includes the fact that the Aswan
Dam was built on the Nile around the turn of the century. This dam caused the river banks to rise considerably, a fact that is noted in the novel: “There was a savage aspect about the sheet of water in front of them,
the masses of rock without vegetation that came down
to the water’s edge—here and there a trace of houses
abandoned and ruined as a result of the damming
up of the waters. The whole scene had a melancholy,
almost sinister charm” (Pt. 2, chap. 6). Many villages and
archaeological sites were buried beneath the reservoir
created by the dam (known as Lake Nasser); only some
survived, and that with great effort. The temple of Ramses
II at Abu Simbel was perhaps the greatest site along the
Nile, and it was preserved by cutting it into some 950
pieces, hoisting them up the banks to a new sight safely
away from the edge of the river, and reassembling them.
There is something haunting, something sinister in the
waters covering those houses and ruins. And one wonders if there are parallels underlying Death on the Nile.
“O’er Egypt’s land of memory
floods are level,
And they are thine, O Nile!
and well thou knowest
The soul-sustaining airs
and blasts of evil,
And fruits, and poisons spring
where’er thou flowest.”
—Percy Bysshe Shelley
Still a popular destination
for holiday cruisers, the Nile
exudes an aura of exotic mystery.
Worldview
G.K. Chesterton once wrote that the “first essential
value of the detective story lies in this, that it is the earliest
and only form of popular literature in which is expressed
some sense of the poetry of modern life.”2 So detective
stories reveal the poetry of modern life. They do this by
hiding the truth and then proceeding to slowly and methodically uncover it.
W.H. Auden defined the plot of a detective novel as
“a murder occurs, many are suspected; all but one suspect, who is the murderer, are eliminated; the murderer
is arrested or dies.”3 Another commentator says that a
detective story may be defined as “a tale in which the primary interest lies in the methodical discovery, by rational
means, of the exact circumstances of a mysterious event
or series of events.”4 In other words, the primary point
of a detective mystery novel is the dénouement. This is a
French word which means “to untie,” from Old French
and Latin roots associated with untying knots. The dénouement is the outcome or resolution of the central plot
in literature or drama. And that is precisely what a detec-
Death on the Nile
tive novel is all about. Detective novels are frequently almost entirely all dénouement, all untying, all unraveling.
Everyone knows that someone will die fairly early on and
by the end the brilliant detective will have uncovered the
truth, but the story is all about the unearthing of the truth.
While all stories usually have some sort of dénouement,
some sort of resolution, many other genres spend more
time leading up to a climax through rising action and the
resolution comes at the end, pulling the loose ends all
together. And while the detective novel also follows this
pattern in some ways, in another sense, for the detective
novel, the plot is the resolution. The rising action is the
slow uncovering of information leading up to the final
revelation of “whodunit.”
Poirot describes this very process of dénouement with
archaeological imagery toward the end of the novel. His
friend and assistant, Colonel Race, is growing frustrated
with the case (and with Poirot) because all of the most likely suspects, for all their faults and other crimes, have not
yet been pegged with the murder of Linnet. “Why all this
beating about the bush?” Race asks, and Poirot responds,
You think that I am just amusing myself with side issues?
And it annoys you? But it is
not that. Once I went professionally to an archaeological
expedition—and I learnt something there. In the course of an
excavation, when something
comes up out of the ground,
everything is cleared away very
carefully all around it. You take
away the loose earth, and you
scrape here and there with a
knife until finally your object
is there, all alone, ready to be
drawn and photographed with
no extraneous matter confusing it. That is what I have been
seeking to do—clear away the
extraneous matter so that we
can see the truth—the naked
shining truth (Pt. 2, chap. 27).
A detective story is a riddle, and the
fun of the riddle is found in the fact
that certain rules must ordinarily be
observed. The riddle must be solved
through erudition, logic, and meticu-
lously observing the tendencies of people. Mary Wagoner
points out that in Death on the Nile there is particular
attention paid to a number of relationships that revolve
around tensions with power and authority. Of the sixteen
people on board the Karnak, most of them are struggling
with wielding authority, enduring unjust authority, or
preparing to rebel against it. Linnet Ridgeway is the most
powerful of all the characters. She is powerful in riches,
in beauty, and in intelligence. And she bends all of these
gifts to serve her purposes. Jacqueline has power in her
will, in her determination and relentlessness to achieve
her goals. Poirot himself is looked up to by all. He is as
famous as Linnet Ridgeway, an intellectual celebrity, but
his authority ultimately rests in the truth, in his ability to
unearth the original players and actions. In addition to
Poirot, there are mothers who are authoritarian or meddlesome and their children, who struggle in various ways
beneath them; Mr. Pennington, Linnet’s guardian; Mr.
Fanthorp, the representative of Linnet’s English solicitor;
there is Mr. Ferguson, a socialist revolutionary; and an
old, wealthy woman who constantly complains and manipulates the people under her.
Part of the challenge of Death on the Nile, like many
murder mystery tales, is all the suspects. Death on the Nile
is packed with people, too many people, too many stories
colliding. And of course that is part of the fun. There’s a
crowded room, a crime is committed, and you have a front
row seat to the investigation. As Poirot unravels the facts,
we find that it is not so simple as one bad guy, lots of innocent bystanders, and an innocent victim or two. While this
is not always the case in Christie novels, Death on the Nile
explores the complications of crime and sin when everyone is a sinner, when there are several criminals, and even
when the victim is not at all very innocent. And this becomes both a challenge for readers and part of the poetry
of the story. There isn’t really any character who seems
altogether sympathetic. Everyone has flaws; everyone has
weaknesses. Even the hero, Hercule Poirot, is not particularly winsome. He’s brilliant and smart, but he does not
appear to be a great man. He seems odd, a little picky and
irritable in places, and in the end he even seems a little
ambivalent to justice and overly pessimistic.
The name Hercule Poirot is not unrelated to his character. The first name “Hercule” conjures up Hercules, the
Greek adventurer and warrior, while a poirot is something
of a buffoon. And thus we have the juxtaposition of the
fierce and valiant son of the gods with a “funny little man”
with a black mustache who puts all his ability in his “little grey cells” and occasionally borders on being annoying with his overly fastidious nature. One commentator
goes so far as to suggest that Poirot has something of the
feminine in his style and methods. Throughout the novels,
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IV
The jackal-headed Anubis,
Egyptian god of the dead, was
guardian of the underworld
and associated with the
mummification process.
Poirot frequently notices details that we would ordinarily
credit a woman with noticing. In Death on the Nile, this
manifests itself in the curious notice of a fingernail polish.
Would an ordinary man be bothered by the presence of
two bottles of nail polish and notice a slight difference in
color? Poirot was, and that is how he came to examine the
bottles and find a telling clue.
All of these elements in Death on the Nile actually
blend together quite nicely. Let’s see: a story full of flawed
characters, where power struggles, resistance, and manipulation figure prominently, and by the time it’s all over,
several corpses are being carried ashore. It sounds a lot
like the world we live in, the story of history. Of course,
the story of the world is a mystery. God is the genius story teller, and he knows all the answers to all the riddles,
all the mysteries. And yet God also loves the story, loves
the mystery, and has written Himself into the story. Like
Hercule Poirot, the story of history is God the Spirit, digging away at a treasure, a fossil, brushing away the dirt,
clearing away debris, unearthing His glory in the world
through the intrigue and fallible stories of His people.
While there are a number of important scenes and
conversations in the first part of the book, one occurs
when the reader is introduced to Hercule Poirot in the
restaurant Chez Ma Tante. While the detective is there
taking in the crowd, he notices one couple dancing who
end up sitting at a table near him. While Poirot does not
yet know who the couple are, readers quickly realize that
this is Jackie, Linnet’s best friend and her fiancé, of whom
she has already spoken to Linnet about, Simon Doyle.
Even as Poirot watches them, he notes to himself, “She
cares too much, that little one,” and he adds, “It is not safe.
No it is not safe.” Poirot is suspicious of Jacqueline’s love
for Simon here, and by the end of the story he concludes,
“That is why most great love stories are tragedies.”
There are several references to the Bible throughout
the novel. There is an explicit reference to the David and
Bathsheba story and to Nathan’s confrontation of David
in particular (2 Sam. 11–12), as well as the incident with
Ahab and Naboth’s vineyard (1 Kings 21). In both episodes there is murder, of course, but both also highlight
the misuse of power in taking advantage of the weak.
A less explicit reference to Scripture is in Poirot’s
warning to Jacqueline, when he urges her not to seek her
revenge against Simon and Linnet. “Do not open your
heart to evil,” he urges Jackie, “Because—if you do—evil
will come . . . Yes, very surely evil will come . . . It will enter
in and make its home within you, and after a little while
it will no longer be possible to drive it out.” This is very
close to God’s own warning to Cain in Genesis 4: “If you
do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do
well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you
Death on the Nile
should rule over it” (Gen. 4:7). Like Poirot’s warning, God
urges Cain not to allow evil through the door, to make its
home within him. For if sin and evil are allowed in, they
will rule over him. The wording here is exactly parallel
to one of the curses in Genesis 3 where God says that sin
will create a particular kind of adversity between a husband and a wife, where a woman’s desire will be for her
husband, and he shall rule over her (Gen. 3:16).
Poirot appears to be overly pessimistic. It may be true
that many great love stories have had tragic elements, but
we know that the story of the world is the greatest love
story, the story of God’s love for the world and the giving
of His Son for us. And that story is not a tragedy but a comedy, a story that ends in a wedding and in joy. Yet Poirot’s
suspicions with regard to misplaced love seem consistent
with Scripture. Recognizing that love is Jackie’s problem,
he warns her, “Love is not everything, Mademoiselle . . . It
is only when we are young that we think it is.” This is why
the greatest commandment is to love God with all that we
are. Anything less than whole-hearted devotion to God is
dangerous. It is not safe.
But our love for God is
of course all the result
of His love for us. He
has sought us out in
Jesus; we love Him
because He loved us
first. And this love is
to die for. He came
to be a righteous Cain,
to rule evil and put it to
death in His death. In order for Jesus to rule over
evil, He had to be a wise
king. Like a greater Solomon, Jesus was anointed
with the Spirit of Wisdom and
knew that to destroy all sin and death and
evil, He had to take these things into Himself and die. He had to die like a murderer,
for all murder to be destroyed. And the glory of it
all is that in the death of Christ, true power was revealed.
When Jesus was lifted up on the cross, He was revealed to
be the Messiah, the true King of Israel.
And it is this enthronement on the cross, the wisdom
of God revealed in the death of Jesus, that answers the
curse of sin on the woman. In the death Christ, He took
a bride to Himself, the Christian Church (Eph. 5:2, 25).
And that Bride is being revealed as the wisdom of God;
the church united to Christ is where the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are found. She is where God’s glory
is being revealed from glory to glory. By the power of the
Spirit her desire is for her Husband, but He rules her in
wisdom and has exalted her and seated her with Him in
the heavenly places to reign with Him until every enemy
has been put down.
Death on the Nile is not high art. Christie was not producing great literature in her mystery novels, but the mass
production and hugely popular following of fans certainly
reveals something “classic” about them. People are attracted to the universal themes of love and greed, loyalty
and betrayal, and the multiplicity of ways humans have to
take perfectly wonderful things and turn them into horrific tales of sadness and misery. There is also something
fundamentally true about a mystery. It’s the glory of God
to conceal a matter, but it is the glory of kings to search
it out (Prov. 25:2). There is something built into humans
created in the image of God, a certain nobility, that loves a
good challenge, a good mystery. And perhaps that is something of the poetry of a detective story, something of the
glory in a mystery. Kings are called to wisdom, and wisdom
must be searched out, untied, and unearthed. In Christ, we
have all been made kings and called into that great treasure hunt, the adventure of life, the mystery of the universe
which ultimately finds all dénouement, all resolution, and
every solution in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And that
is the naked shining truth.
—Toby J. Sumpter
For Further Reading
Most, Glen W., and Stowe, William W. The Poetics
of Murder. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich
Publishers, 1983.
Murch, A.E. The Development of the Detective Novel.
London: Peter Owen Limited, 1968.
Osborne, Charles. The Life and Crimes of Agatha
Christie. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2001.
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Session I: Prelude
6. What is the glory of God and the glory of kings (Prov.
25:2)? How does that fit with wisdom?
Question to Consider
It is the glory of God to conceal matters, and it
is the glory of kings to search them out. Wisdom
is the treasure which God has hidden in all of
creation that God’s kingly people are called upon
to search out and prize as more valuable than
anything on earth.
What is power?
If Christ is our example, power and authority are
graciously bestowed by God. They are bestowed
for obedience, so that we might obey, and to
those who are faithful with a little, God gives
more. Jesus was granted authority when He was
baptized and the Spirit came upon Him. But even
that authority was glorified when Jesus was obedient even to death. The Spirit of God raised Jesus
from the dead and declared Him to be the Son of
God with power (Rom. 1:4). Thus, power is the
ability to obey the will of God and the ability to
influence others to do so also.
From the General Information above answer the following
questions:
1. How did Agatha Christie’s life inform her writing?
Christie’s own life is evidenced in her writing
through her travels and knowledge of many
foreign places and experiences. Her experience
as a nurse is also evidenced in her knowledge
of medicine and injuries and death. Her painful
experiences of betrayal, love, and loyalty are also
recurring themes in her work.
2. What is dénouement in literature and drama?
Dénouement is the resolution of a story, the untying of the knot of the plot.
3. How is a detective novel in one sense almost entirely
dénouement?
Detective novels are all about unraveling the
mystery. The plot is simple, and in one sense the
reader knows what is going to happen. How it
will happen is the question.
4. What biblical allusions appear in Death on the Nile?
How are they significant?
Reading Assignment:
Death on the Nile, Part 1–
Part 2, chapter 3
Session II: Discussion
Part 1 – Part 2 chapter 3
A Question to Consider
When is it the hardest to do what is right?
It is difficult to do what is right when we think
that someone deserves to “get it good.” When
it comes to justice and equity, it tends to be difficult to leave room for the vengeance of God.
Especially when we have been wronged, it is
difficult to think clearly and act prudently. It
is also hard to do what is right when we think
that someone is “getting away with it.” There
is also sometimes added temptation when it
appears that no one cares or no one will notice.
If it is a common or ordinary sin that is generally
approved of, it is even more difficult to do what is
right. Or if there seems to be no way that anyone
would ever find out, it can be more tempting to
do what is wrong.
There are at least two explicit references: to David’s
misuse of power with Bathsheba and Uriah and to
Ahab’s misuse of power with Naboth’s vineyard.
Both are concerned with the misuse of power and
with stealing. Death on the Nile is concerned with
the same things. There is also an allusion to God’s
words to Cain in Poirot’s warnings to Jacqueline
de Bellefort.
Discuss or list short answers to the following questions:
5. How might Poirot be accused of being somewhat feminine? How does that fit with the idea of wisdom?
2. What does Linnet notice that Jacqueline does which
she remembers as being “characteristic of her?”
Poirot pays attention to details that most men are
oblivious to; for example, the two nail polish bottles. According to Scripture wisdom is a woman to
be loved and emulated (e.g., Prov. 3–4, 8–9).
Jacqueline “pounces” (Pt. 1, chap. 1, sec. V).
Text Analysis
1. What does Joanna Southwood tell Linnet she would
do if Linnet lost all her money?
Joanna says she would drop Linnet. She doesn’t
think it is worth being friends with poor people
(Part 1, chapter 1, section III).
3. What does Poirot overhear Jacqueline and Simon
talking about at the Chez Ma Tante restaurant?
They are talking about Linnet and not wanting to
Death on the Nile
C h a rt 1 : Character Analysis
Character Personality Possible
Motive
Alibi
Questions/
suspicions
Jackie De
Bellefort
Hot, fiery,
jealous
Jealousy
She tried to
shoot Simon,
missed, and
has been
under surveillance since.
She’s been talking about getting
revenge and killing
the Doyles.
Andrew
Pennington
Nervous, a little
irritable
Greed for
Linnet’s
estate
He has no clear
alibi, although
he says he was
writing in his
room when
the murder
occurred.
Why did he rush over
to Egypt and pretend
to accidentally run
into Linnet? What are
those papers he was
having Linnet sign?
Mr. Ferguson
Heartless, cruel
Socialism,
anarchy
He has no
clear alibi.
He does not seem to
have any morals.
Signor
Richetti
Secretive,
archaeologist
He’s too mysterious to
know.
He has no
clear alibi.
Why is he so secretive? Is he really an
archaeologist?
James
Fanthorp
Awkward,
uncertain
Greed for
Linnet’s
estate
He was helping Jackie and
Simon after the
initial shooting.
Why did he rush
down to be on the
cruise after hearing
that Mr. Pennington
was also along?
Simon Doyle
Jovial, can be
angry
Greed
Was shot in
the leg and
immobilized
Is he really so cruel to
have betrayed Jackie
for Linnet?
Marie
Disappointed,
(Former Maid) sad
Her engagement to an
Egyptian man
was broken
off by Linnet.
Not on board
the Karnak
(although her
former fiancé
was)
Could she have been
capable of so much
planning to pull off
the murder?
Joanna
Southwood
Harsh, honest
Jealousy,
planning to
steal something of
Linnet’s
Not on board
the Karnak
Could she have
secretly come
aboard?
Dr. Bessner
Business, somewhat irritable
No clear
motive
Was with
Simon Doyle
One murder committed was with a surgical knife
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IV
let her down. They are also planning their honeymoon in Egypt (Pt. 1, chap. 1, sec. VI).
4. What makes Mr. Andrew Pennington angry? And
what does he decide to do?
Mr. Pennington is angered by the letter he
receives which mentions that Linnet has married
Simon Doyle. He and his associate Mr. Rockford
are obviously upset by this, and Mr. Pennington
decides to take the next boat over to Egypt (Pt. 1,
chap. 1, sec. X).
5. Why is Jim Fanthorp sent to Egypt?
Jim Fanthorp is sent to Egypt by Mr. Carmichael
because they receive a letter from Linnet which
mentions that Mr. Pennington has coincidentally
bumped into Linnet on her trip in Egypt. Fanthorp
is sent to Egypt because Linnet will not recognize
him, and he must use his eyes and ears and, if
necessary, “act” (Pt. 1, chap. 1, sec. XI).
6. What reason does Poirot say is causing Linnet to feel
guilty? What does Poirot agree to do for Linnet?
Poirot says that Linnet feels guilty for deliberately
stealing Simon Doyle from Jacqueline. She knows
that she has hurt her friend, and this makes her
react more strongly to her when she keeps following her. Poirot agrees to speak to Jacqueline
in the interest of humanity, but
refuses to be hired by Linnet
to do so (Pt. 2, chap. 3).
Cultural Analysis
1. Linnet says that an engagement is not really binding, and therefore it was actually heroic and right for
Simon to break it off with Jacqueline since he had
discovered that he really loved Linnet. Would our
culture agree with Linnet?
Yes. Our culture believes that the feeling of being
“in love” holds ultimate value and trumps all previous commitments.
2. Poirot says that Linnet is upset because she feels
guilty. What is our culture’s view of guilt?
Our culture generally considers guilt as something that is either psychological/emotional or
something that is purely human, as between individuals. There is no understanding that guilt is
something that affects our relationship with God
or that guilt is fundamentally the realization that
we have disregarded God’s Word.
Biblical Analysis
1. Read Psalm 51. The note at the beginning of the
Psalm says that this was the prayer of David after
Nathan the prophet confronted David about his sin
with Bathsheba and his murder of Uriah. What does
David’s prayer of confession teach us about guilt with
regard to sins committed against other people?
David’s prayer makes it clear that he considers his
sinful actions to have done great wrong to God. His
sin against Bathsheba and Uriah is also against God.
2. Read Josh. 7 and Acts 5:1–11. What are some of the
similarities between the two stories? What do both of
these stories teach regarding hiding sin?
Both episodes are about attempts to lie to God
and hide sin. Both times the sin is found out, and
the guilty ones die for their sin. Another similarity
To control flooding on the Nile River,
the British built the Aswan Low Dam
in 1902. Over the years this proved
inadequate, so a second dam was
completed farther upstream in 1970.
To prevent the temples of Ramses II
at Abu Simbel from being covered
by the lake that resulted, they were
moved and reassembled further
from the water’s edge on
higher ground.
Death on the Nile
is in the fact that both stories are at the beginning of conquests, in Joshua the conquest of
Canaan, in Acts the conquest of the world with
the gospel. In the story of Achan there is also the
broader affect of his sin on the rest of Israel.
Summa
Write an essay or discuss this question, integrating
what you have learned from the material above.
What’s the difference between obeying out of
guilt and obeying out of gratitude?
Guilt can be a powerful motivator. Arguably much
of the good done in the world is frequently done
out of a sense of guilt, trying to make up for past
failures and wrongs. The problem is that this sort of
“obedience” runs out. It is fundamentally based on
human strength, personal determination, and it is
fed by pain. But guilt and pain slowly suck life away.
Only joy and thankfulness multiplies the gift. Only
gratitude can keep giving and multiply obedience.
Obeying out of gratitude sees obedience itself as
a gift from God, and therefore walks by faith and
eagerly hopes and expects more obedience to be
given. For this reason it can keep on giving, keep
on obeying because it trusts in the goodness of the
Giver. More will be provided, more given.
Reading Assignment:
eath on the Nile, Part 2,
D
chapters 4–10
Session III: Recitation
Death on the Nile, Part 2, chapters 4–10
Comprehension Questions
Answer the following questions for factual recall:
1. According to Jacqueline, why did Simon Doyle leave
her for Linnet Ridgeway?
Jacqueline says that it was Linnet’s glamour, and
that Linnet was like the sun and Jacqueline was
only the moon. When Simon saw Linnet he was
dazzled and could not see anyone besides Linnet
(Pt. 2, chap. 4).
2. When Poirot asks Simon Doyle if there’s any of the
“old feeling left” for Jacqueline, how does Doyle respond? Why is Poirot startled by his answer?
Doyle says that it’s like the moon when the sun
comes out. When he met Linnet he completely
forgot about Jackie. Poirot is startled because he
says almost the exact thing as Jacqueline said the
previous night (Pt. 2, chap. 5).
3. What does Simon Doyle plan to do in order to give
the slip to Jacqueline?
He says that they have announced that they are
staying where they are for ten more days, but in
actuality they plan to take another ship and meet
back up with the Karnak shortly (Pt. 2, chap. 5).
4. In chapter 7, what does Poirot hear as he is drifting
off to sleep?
He hears Simon Doyle talking and saying, “We’ve
got to go through with it now. . . .”
5. While Linnet is signing papers with Mr. Andrew
Pennington, what does Mr. Fanthorp say and do that
seems to annoy Mr. Pennington?
He says that he admires Linnet’s businesslike
capacity (Pt. 2, chap. 8).
6. While out touring the great temple of the Ramses,
what near-miss occurs?
A large boulder comes bounding down the cliff
and nearly misses Linnet (Pt. 2, chap. 9).
7. What old acquaintance shows up aboard the Karnak? Why is he aboard?
Colonel Race shows up on the Karnak. He is looking for a violent criminal (Pt. 2, chap. 10).
Reading Assignment:
Death on the Nile, Part 2,
chapters 11–16
Session IV: Activity
Planning a Detective Novel
Imagine that you are preparing to write a detective/
mystery novel like Death on the Nile. On one page, sketch
out the basic plot of the story, all of the main characters,
and the resolution. Give enough detail to show how the
various characters will make the real perpetrator difficult to identify.
Or find a murder mystery game to play as a class or
with your family. Try to use as many names and situations from Death on the Nile as possible. Discuss factors such as motives, opportunity, methods, and various
circumstances that make suspects more or less likely to
have committed the crime.
Reading Assignment:
Death on the Nile, Part 2,
chapters 17–23
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O
m n i b u s
IV
Session V:
Character Analysis
Deduction
Fill in Chart 1 to help you remember and identify
the various characters. After completing the chart take a
thoughtful guess as to who murdered Linnet Ridgway.
Our next session will be a student-led discussion. As
you are reading the following assignment, you should
write down at least three questions from the text dealing with the issue listed below. These questions will be
turned in to the teacher and will be used in classroom
discussion. To get full credit for these Text Analysis questions you must create a question that is connected to the
reading and to the issue that is the focus of our discussion; you must also answer the question correctly (and
include a page or line reference at the end); and your
question must be one that invites discussion and debate
(“why” questions are excellent; questions that can be answered by “yes” or “no” are to be avoided).
You should also provide two Cultural Analysis and
two Biblical Analysis questions. Cultural Analysis questions ask how our culture views the issue that we are discussing. Biblical Analysis questions ask what the Bible
says concerning this issue. Again, to get full credit for
each question, you must create questions connected to
the issue we are studying, answer each question correctly
and create questions that encourage and invite discussion and exploration. For an example of each type of
question and answer refer to the examples provided in
the next session.
If you are working alone, after creating your questions and answers, have your parent or tutor check over
them. Also, if possible, share them with your family at the
dinner table, helping them to understand why the issue is
important, how the issue arises in your reading, how its
importance is still evident in our culture, and how understanding this issue might change the way you and your
family should think and live.
Session VI:
Student-Led Discussion
Death on the Nile, Part 2, chapters 24–30
A Question to Consider
In order to achieve justice, must punishment occur?
This is a challenging question. In one sense the
answer is yes because that is the point of the
death of Christ. The death of Jesus included taking upon himself the punishment due to us. On
the other hand there are at least a couple of
notable exceptions. What about King David who
stole Bathsheba and arranged to have her husband murdered. While David’s son dies as a sort of
punishment, David does not actually face punishment for his crime.
Students should read and consider the example questions below that are connected to the Question to Consider above. Last session’s assignment was to prepare three
questions and answers for the Text Analysis section and
two additional questions and answers for both the Cultural and Biblical Analysis sections below.
Text Analysis
Example: How is Mr. Allerton a criminal? Is he punished
for his crime?
Answer: Mr. Allerton is a thief, and he has stolen a pearl
necklace from the deceased Linnet Doyle. He is not punished for his crime. He flings the fake string of pearls into
the river, and Poirot lets him off the hook since he was
not Linnet’s murderer.
Cultural Analysis
Example: What does our culture think about punishment
and justice?
Answer: Our culture puts a lot more emphasis on rehabilitation than on punishment. Retributive justice has been
replaced by protection and re-education.
Biblical Analysis
Issue
Justice and Punishment
Reading Assignment:
eath on the Nile, Part 2,
D
chapters 24–30
Example: How can Christians not worry about punishing
personal offenses (Rom. 12:17–21)?
Answer: Paul says that we should do good to those who
do us wrong since we know that God is the God of vengeance. He will repay.
Other Scriptures to consider: Romans 13:4
Death on the Nile
Summa
Does the coming of Jesus change how we should view
crime, justice and punishment?
Write an essay or discuss this question, integrating what you have learned from the material
above.
Over time, we trust that the work of Christ on
the cross will work out the grace of God in the
world, slowly overcoming all evil. This means that
our hope should be greater and our evangelistic
efforts should be seen as part of our efforts in
justice. In the meantime, it is still right for rulers
to punish evildoers and protect their citizens from
those who seek to harm them. At the same time,
the justice of the Cross frees the people of God to
show mercy, love life, and to be overflowing in
forgiveness. Wise Christian rulers ought to see the
Cross as an important part of their wise application of biblical justice to their callings.
Optional Session A:
Recitation
Death on the Nile, Part 2, chapters 24–30
Cornelia’s father was practically ruined by Linnet’s
father (Pt. 2, chap. 24).
3. Why is Mr. Fanthorp on board the Karnak? How did
Poirot come to suspect his involvement?
Mr. Fanthorp is the nephew of Linnet’s English
solicitor, Mr. Carmichael. He was sent on the
cruise to keep an eye out for any funny business
from Mr. Andrew Pennington, the guardian of
Linnet and a trustee of her estate and inheritance
(Pt. 2, chap. 25).
4. What is Mr. Tim Allerton’s relationship with Joanna
Southwood?
Tim helped Joanna steal jewels (Pt. 2, chap. 26).
5. Who killed Linnet Doyle? How?
Simon Doyle pretended to be shot by Jackie, and
when the others helped Jackie out of the room,
he ran to Linnet’s room and shot her (Pt. 2, chap.
28).
6. Who killed Louise Bourget and Madame Otterbourne? Why?
Jacqueline killed them because they had seen
Simon and/or her acting out their crimes (Pt. 2,
chap. 28).
7. How do Jackie and Simon end up at the end of the
book?
They end up dead. Jackie shoots Simon and then
shoots herself (Pt. 2, chap. 30).
Comprehension Questions
Answer the following questions for factual recall:
1. What does Mr. Ferguson think about the three murders?
Mr. Ferguson says that the three women who
have died are “no loss,” and he doesn’t care. He
says that he thinks “it’s a damned good thing!”
(Pt. 2, chap. 24).
2. Who was “practically ruined” by Linnet’s father?
Endnotes
1Cited in Osborne, Charles. The Life and Crimes of Agatha Christie. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2001. 147.
2“In Defence of the Detective Story,” The Defendant, London:
Dent, 1901. Cited in Murch, A.E. The Development of the Detective Novel. London: Peter Owen Limited, 1968. 10.
3Wagoner, Mary. Agatha Christie. Boston: Twayne Publishers,
1986. 33.
4 Murch, A.E., 11.
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