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Analysis

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THE SWEET LITTLE CRIME MASTERMIND
(PSYCHOANALISIS AND MOTIVES ON THE CHARACTER OF JOSEPHINE IN
AGATHA CHRISTIE’S THE CROOKED HOUSE)
Fasya Rashif Mahran Darmawan, Afi Fadlilah M.Hum.
Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia, Bandung, Indonesia
fasyarashifm@student.upi.edu
afifadlilah@upi.edu
ABSTRACT
In the story of "The Crooked House", the criminal here is not someone who has ever
committed a crime or someone who will commit a crime for reasons of family, property, or
lover. The character 'Josephine' here is a little girl who is quite genius compared to other
family members, being one of the important figures in this story. Because of the death of his
grandfather, Artistide Leonides. The autopsy revealed that Artistide Leonides had been
poisoned by eye medication through injecting insulin. All evidence points to several other
family members, but it is deceitful after the detective finds the killer's diary.
Keywords: literature, Agatha Christie, detective stories, criminal fiction, psychology,
psychoanalysis
PRELIMINARY
We can find detective or criminal fiction everywhere. Many people like crime fiction
stories. Of course there are many well-known detective writers such as Edgar Allan Poe,
Arthur Conan Doyle, Dorothy L. Sayers, and Agatha Christie, one of the female writers who
was named the 'Queen of Crimes'.
Agatha Christie's works, according to a review of many readers of detective novels, are
the best works of criminal fiction in the world. Due to the nature of the storyline that can
make the reader feel in the story and also make the reader think about how to solve a
problem, guess who the criminal is, and so on.
One of Agatha Christine's best works is a novel titled "The Crooked House", which was
later adapted into a feature film (along with "Murder on the Orient Express"). This is because
the character of the killer or criminal in this story is very interesting to the reader, not only
because of the criminal offender, but also because of his criminal motives. Most of Agatha's
works have mysteries that can distort the reader's mind. Starting from the assumption of one
character to another character, to the criminal reason that happened, and in the end these
things were only cheats for the reader, and Agatha also revealed the criminal and the real
motive.
Electronic copy available at: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3305907
a. Psychoanalysis
Psychoanalysis in literature has four possible meanings. The first is the study of
author psychology as a type or as a person. The second is the study of the creative process.
The third is the study of the types and laws of psychology applied to literary works. The
fourth is studying the impact of literature on the reader. However, what is used in
psychoanalysis is the third because it is closely related in the field of literature. The origin
and creation of literary works are taken into account in the assessment of the literary work
itself. So psychoanalysis is the study of the types and laws of psychology applied to literary
works.
The emergence of a psychological approach in literature was caused by the
widespread introduction of literary scholars with Freud's teachings which began to be
published in English. That is Dream Interpretation (The Interpretation of Dreams) and Three
Contributions to A Theory of Sex or Three Contribution of Mind to the Direction of Sex
Theory in the decade leading up to world war. The discussion of literature is carried out as an
experiment on the techniques of dream symbolism, the disclosure of the flow of mental
consciousness, and understanding. Freud-style libido became a source of support for social
rebellion against Puritanism (strict spirituality) and the procedure of Victorianoism (rigid
association). In the past, the genius of writers was always a topic of gossip. Since Greek
times, genius was considered madness (madness) from the neurotic level to psychosis. Poets
are considered possessed. He is different from the others, and his subconscious world that is
conveyed through his work is considered to be below the rational level. However, the author
does not merely record his emotional disturbances, he also cultivates an archetypal pattern,
such as Dostoyevsky in his work The Brother Kamarazov or a pattern of neurotic personality
that has spread to that era. Then, the knowledge of emotions and souls develops in the
assessment of literature.
Psychology or psychoanalysis can classify the author based on the type of psychology
and its physiological type. Psychoanalysisists can also describe mental disorders and even
their subconscious. The evidence is taken from documents outside of literature or from the
literature itself. To interpret literature as psychological proof, psychologists need to match it
with documents outside of literature.
Psychoanalysis can be used to assess literature because psychology can explain the
creative process. For example, the custom of the author revises and rewrites his work. What
is more useful in psychoanalysis is the study of script repairs, corrections, and so on. This is
useful because if used properly it can help us see fissures, irregularities, changes, and
distortions that are very important in a literary work. Psychoanalysis in literary works is
useful for psychologically analyzing characters in dramas and novels. Sometimes the author
unconsciously or consciously can incorporate the psychological theory he adheres to.
Psychoanalysis can also analyze the soul of the author through his literary
work.Psychoanalysis itself is indeed part of the study of human psychology and Freud used it
in function as medical therapy. One of the great discoveries of psychoanalysis, which can be
seen as useful in the analysis of literary texts, is the existence of unconscious life in humans
Electronic copy available at: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3305907
(the unconscious aspect above). Freud even stated that the most important aspects of human
behavior were determined by his unconscious nature. For this reason, Freud put forward a
theory about the structure of human personality. The structure of the human personality
consists of three parts that grow chronologically, namely the id, ego, and superego.Id is the
most primitive personality structure and is related to the principle of seeking pleasure. We
can see this in a person's childhood phase.
Id has a lot to do with arbitrary lust that is unable to distinguish reality and fantasy.
Ego is a continuation of efforts to find pleasure, but it has been coupled with the
necessity to submit to reality and cannot be arbitrary anymore. This phase can be seen when a
child begins to recognize various social rules and is forced to curb arbitrary desires of selfsatisfaction.
Superego is a representation of various values and norms that exist in the community
where the individual lives. This superego allows human beings to have self-control always
will demand human perfection in thoughts, words, and deeds. This stage is in line with the
maturity of an individual. Associated with the unconscious and the conscious, the id is
located in the first part while the other includes both.
b. Agatha Christie
Agatha Christie is a very famous female detective novel writer. She was originally an
unsuccessful writer with six rejections, but all changed when The Mysterious Affair at Styles,
which featured Hercule Poirot, was published in 1920. She was known for 66 detective
novels and 14 collections of short stories, especially those revolving around her fictitious
detective Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple. Christie also wrote the longest drama in the world,
a murder mystery, The Mousetrap, and six romances by the name of Mary Westmacott.
Guinness World Records listed Christie as the best-selling novelist of all time. Her
novels have sold around 2 billion copies, and claim her property that her works rank third in
the list of most publications in the world, only Shakespeare and the Bible. According to the
Translation Index, she remains the most widely translated individual writer in 103 languages.
And Then Were None Christie's best-selling novel, with sales of 100 million to date, makes it
the best-selling mystery in the world, and one of the best-selling books of all time.
Through the stories of his novels, Agatha Christie is able to make the readers
fascinated by her skills that make the storyline like what really happened, and even the reader
seems to be thinking about how to solve a case or problem in Agatha Christie's novel.
What makes Agatha Christie's works unique is the character of the killer and her
motives for every novel, such as The ABC Murder, Peril at End House, The Crooked House,
and Murder On the Orient Express. The killer figures here can be analyzed using the study of
Psychoanalysis to understand the characters created by Agatha Christie.
Electronic copy available at: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3305907
METHODS
The technique of collecting data is by reading the novel "The Crooked House" by
Agatha Christie. The data taken is the killer figure in the novel. After collecting data,
researchers will analyze it with a study of psychoanalysis and psychology. The data obtained
after analysis will later be able to explain the character of the killer and his/her psychological
state in the novel "The Crooked House" by Agatha Christie.
The purpose of analyzing the data is to prove whether the character of the killer has
the characteristics or psychological characteristics like what. Is it like in real life or just a
fictional character.
ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSIONS
Agatha Christie is famous for her amazingly impressive detective novels. Not only
because of the detective figures he created, but also because of the cases that made the reader
like to think about what caused the problem or who did it. This makes the reader come to
illustrate how the mindset of a detective or killer in carrying out their duties.
The novel "The Crooked House" was inspired by the children's song "There Was a
Crooked Man".
Lyrics:
There was a crooked man, and he walked a crooked mile
He found a crooked sixpence upon a crooked stile
He bought a crooked cat, which caught a crooked mouse
And they all lived together in a little crooked house.
Here is the plot summary:
“Josephine’s diary”
Charles Hayward met Sophia Leonides in Cairo. A smart, beautiful, young woman
and works for the British Ministry of Foreign Affairs. They fell in love with each other, but
the engagement had to be postponed until the Second World War ended. After that they will
reunite in England.
At his home, Hayward read Obituary in The Times: a wealthy businessman, Sophia
Leonides's grandfather, Artistide Leonides, died at the age of 85. And the autopsy showed
that Artistide had been poisoned with eserine-based eye drugs through insulin injections.
Sophia said that she could not marry Charles until the matter was resolved.
Electronic copy available at: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3305907
Because of the war, all his family members lived with him in a luxurious house called
"The Three Gables – or" The Crooked House ". The suspects who are clearly among them are
Brenda Leonides, the second young wife of Artistide Leonides. Laurence Brown, a private
teacher who teaches Eustace and Josephine. Rumors say that Brenda and Laurence had
banned relations under the nose of the old Leonides. Everyone accused Brenda of having all
family members hate Brenda. She is considered a gold digger on the property of Leonides.
But the police failed to interview the clear suspects. Charles also agreed to help his father, a
Scotland Yard Assistant Commissioner, Sir Arthur Hayward, investigate this crime.
All have motives and opportunities, have no alibis, and all know that Artistide eye
medicine is very toxic if mixed with other drugs, or consumed. They will also get a healthy
grant from the parents' inheritance. Edith de Haviland, Artistide's sister-in-law, was not
married, she came to live with him after the death of his first wife in order to monitor her
children. Roger, Artistide's beloved eldest, has failed to become an entrepreneur and made a
catering business assisted by his father which ended in bankruptcy. He wants to live modestly
somewhere far away, Roger is not the type of businessman. Clemency, Roger's wife, a hard
scientist, had never felt the wealth of Leonides. Phillip, Roger's younger brother, suffered
because his father preferred Roger. He is more often in the library with history books.
Phillip's wife, Magda, is a simple but successful stage actress. And she really likes the world
of seclusion to the point where even this murder case she considers to be a stage scene, and
she wants to be the main actress in this scene. Eustace, a sixteen-year-old boy who still
suffered from the side effects of a polio case as a child. And his sister, Josephine, among all
of them, was just a different person. She does not have such a beautiful face, her behavior is
strange, but she is very intelligent and very obsessed with detective stories. She also spied on
all family members and wrote the results of her observations in a secret notebook.
Leonides plans to leave his entire treasure to Sophia, because he believes that only
Sophia has the strength of character to assume her position as head of the family.
Josephine said that she knew the identity of the killer. Once, she was found lying on
the yard, unconscious from a heavy blow to the head from the marble door. Then Charles
found a pile of letters whose contents were Brenda's love letter to Laurence, both of whom
were arrested for evidence that incriminated them as the murderers. But the case wasn't over,
Josephine's nanny, had been found dead after drinking a cup of hot chocolate which was
meant for Josephine, but she refused. Everyone also realized that the killer was still there, not
Brenda and Laurence.
Charles urged Josephine to tell the identity of the killer, but in vain because Josephine
did not say anything. Then Edith came, he wanted to invite Josephine to buy ice cream. After
they left, Charles found a secret notebook, more like a diary (diary), and Edith left several
letters to Chief Inspector Taverner, a suicide statement and confession had killed Artistide,
and Nanny, another letter to Charles and Sophia, stating that Josephine was the killer. Edith
did not want everyone to know that this little girl was a murderer, therefore Edith invited
Josephine to buy ice cream, but committed murder-suicide car crash into a cliff in mining
Electronic copy available at: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3305907
area. Edith did not want Josephine to suffer when she grew up because she will end up in
prison or asylum if and when the police learned she was the murderer.
In the secret notebook, there were all the secrets written by Josephine, from her
jealousy to Sophia, to the record that she had succeeded in killing Artistide Leonides, because
he did not want to pay for ballet courses for Josephine, and felt proud of it. She really enjoyed
the game and still had to continue, she imprisoned Brenda and Laurence, then poisoned
Nanny, because Nanny encouraging Magda to send Josephine to school in Switzerland, and
also because Nanny often called her 'stupid little girl'. And she also included threats against
Magda if her mother seriously considering sending her away.
RESULT
Analysis of the character 'Josephine' as a murderer in Agatha Christie's ‘The
Crooked House’ novel
Josephine Character Analysis:
Josephine Leonides is a 12-year-old child, granddaughter of the late Artistide
Leonides, the youngest child of Philip and Magda, the younger siblings of Sophia and
Eustace. In her life, Josephine was considered a wealthy child, because her grandfather was a
big businessman. But there is a difference from Josephine with other small children her age.
Josephine was an adult not in time, she grew up early, she was very smart, she loved reading
books about detectives. She thought that she was smarter than anyone in the house. She also
has hobbies and fun like other children. Like ballet, eating ice cream, and playing in a tree
house. It's just that Josephine has some disadvantages. But Josephine is not very beautiful,
unlike Sophia. Sophia also took a ballet course before when she was little, which is why
Artistide thought Josephine didn't need to take ballet lessons anymore. Almost all family
members did not pay attention to Josephine except Sophia and Edith de Haviland.
Maybe that was also the reason why Josephine was different from children in general.
She lacked the attention of his family. Think of her as just a useless girl. And that was when
Josephine carried out the murder of Artistide Leonides. Her mindset is still childish even
though it is said to be 'early adults'. The reason is because she was not allowed to take ballet
lessons by her grandfather. It was proven that Josephine still had the mindset of a child. If a
child wants something but is not allowed, they usually whine or cry. But because she had a
mental disorder, Josephine acted unexpectedly. It was also proven when she was to be sent to
Switzerland by her mother, in her secret notebook, she wrote that she would threaten her
mother if she was properly sent to Switzerland. Also to Nanny, who was eventually killed
too, for having urged Magda to send Josephine to Switzerland. After the death of Nanny,
Josephine planned to blame Clemency or Eustace. And in her diary, found insinde a dog
house, there is a note: when I am dead as an old woman, I will leave this behind to be
addressed to the Chief of the Police and they will see what a really great Crime was.
Here it is proven that from her favorite reading detective books, Josephine can do all
this. If analyzed using psychology, Josephine's character has a mind disorder on the flow of
Electronic copy available at: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3305907
thought. She has a Flying of Idea. And the form of her mind is obsession. She becomes
obsessed when committing a crime because she feels bored at home and she has to do
something to make it look crowded. And every time she does something evil, surely all
attention will be on her. Everyone will protect her because she is only a child.
When Edith invited Josephine to buy ice cream, it was proven that Josephine had one
weakness, even though she was smart and clever, then in her mind as the Crime Mastermind
it could still be removed and trapped because it still had the mindset of a small child. Edith
has left a letter for Taverner and specifically for Sophia and Charles. Letters to Sophia and
Charles contain the expression that Josephine had been the murderer along with the evidence,
namely Josephine's secret notebook which had been hidden in a dog house. Edith took
Josephine up the car and plunged into the ravine. The reason is because Edith did not want
Josephine to suffer in a prison or mental hospital if the evidence was found and which would
definitely be directed at Josephine. Edith also didn't want Josephine to remain, because that
would only make things worse. Josephine will be a great woman who is a very intelligent and
cold-blooded killer. Only to satisfy her desire to kill. Therefore suicide by bringing Josephine
is the only way to end this problem. So that the other family members do not become guilty
of Artistide and Nanny's death.
Josephine's psychological state here is sad and feels ignored. But because her psychic
became a psychopath, Josephine was not sad. But she feels very bored and something must
happen in that house. Because she likes detective books, she finally commits a crime that he
shouldn't do. Those who are responsible for Josephine's condition should be her parents.
Should have given more attention to Josephine because she was still a child.
Analysis of Josephine’s Id, Ego, and Superego:
Id: the sayings of the Leonides make Josephine alienated. Artistide forbade her to take
ballet lessons, which made Josephine hates him. And Josephine planned the murder of
Artistide Leonides, besides hating him, she also felt bored at home and something had to
happen.
Ego: she killed Artistide Leonides by mixing eye medicines into Artistide’s insulin
injections. The one who injected him was not Josephine, but Brenda, Artistide's young wife
because she used to do it for her husband if he asked. Josephine not only killed Artistide, but
also Nanny, because she sucks and urges Magda, Josephine's mother, to send her to
Switzerland.
Superego: There is no Superego on Josephine. Because Josephine killed Artistide and
Nanny. This means Josephine superego according to Id.
Based on the Id, there is no superego on Josephine. Josephine has successfully
implemented her Id. Namely by killing Leonides and Nanny Artistide.
Electronic copy available at: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3305907
CONCLUSION
A child should get more attention and affection from his/her parents, or other family
members. Because starting from there the child can learn. Mental disorders for young
children should not be ignored, must be addressed immediately so as not to adversely affect
the future. Small children can also act unexpectedly. That is due to a lack of supervision and
attention to the child.
From this article, it can be proven that Agatha Christie does not just make fictional
characters. Agatha wants her readers to recognize the characteristics of people with mental or
thought disorders. She makes us think who the real killer is here and many guesses appear to
be directed at innocent people. If the reader is more observant, maybe the culprit will already
be guessed.
Electronic copy available at: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3305907
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Freud, Sigmund. The Interpretation of Dreams. Austria. 1900. Franz Deuticke, Leipzig &
Vienna.
Freud, Sigmund. The Psychopathology of Everyday Life. 1901. Germany.
Freud, Sigmund. Pengantar Umum Psikoanalisis. Yogyakarta. 2006. PUSTAKA PELAJAR.
http://psikopatologi.blogspot.co.id/2015/08/psikopatologi.html . Accessed from the internet.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agatha_Christie . Accessed from the internet.
https://sugarspiceentice.wordpress.com/2016/11/03/analisis-psikologi-sastra-dalam-cerpenangela-karya-budi-darma/ . Accessed from the internet.
https://id.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psikologi . Accessed from the internet.
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I-FITK.pdf . Accessed from the internet.
Electronic copy available at: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3305907
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