The Letter by W.S. Maugham

The Letter by W.S. Maugham

Mr. Joyce is a lawyer, who had to defend Mrs. Crosbie, a woman who has killed Geoff Hammond, who has tried to rape her. She protected herself and she shot him 6 times. She told Mr. Joyce that Hammond come to her house by surpise when her husband was in Singapore. Then Mr. Joyce detected a letter, which Leslie Crosbie had sent Geoff the day before he was killed. Mrs Crosbie invited him because Robert wasn't at home. Robert paid 1,000 dollars to have this letter from Geoff's chinese lover. Mr. Joyce could set Leslie free. Mrs. Crosbie confessed killing Geoff hammond because he had another lover.

The story is told by a 3° person narrator, who is neither omniscient nor obtrusive.

The most important characters are Mr. Joyce, Mr. Crosbie, Mrs. Crosbie and One Chi Seng, Mr. Joyce's clerk.

Mr. Joyce is presented by narration. He is a round character: he has thoughts and feelings. After the case R.v. Crosbie, he has more faith in One Chi Seng.

Mr. Crosbie is presented by description. He is a flat character: he still loves his wife despite her adultery. This character is built on the despair and his love for Leslie.

Mrs. Crosbie is presented by dialogues. At the outset of the story Mr. Crosbie and Mr. Joyce speak abundantly of Leslie. She is a round character: at the beginning of the story she is portrayed like a lovely und undefended woman, trapped in the nightmare of a murder committed for self-defence. Then she became a jealous and pitiless woman thirsty for revenge. The psychology of this character is the most complex of the story.

One Chi Seng is presented by description. He is a round character: he is a key character of the story; he is clever and through his acquaitances he got the only evidence for the persecution of Leslie.

Story and plot don't concide. There are some flashbacks, told by a second narrator. The beginning of the story is in medias-res.

The story is set in Malaysia. You don't know when the story is set.

The language used is quite complex, not rich in metaphores or similes. The language is concrete.

The themes of this story are love and law. All the story is built on love: Robert loves Leslie, but she has fallen in love with Geoff, who loves a chinese woman. Robert pays 1,000 dollars for Leslie, because he loves her deeply. The story speaks of law and women. Leslie runs the risk of being convicted of murder, although she says she has killed him for self-defence. Are women and men equal before the law?
This story teaches that you mustn't believe in appearance. You must know well people.

I liked this story, because it tells about love and because its end is very unforeseeable.