Character sketch of Dr Sheppard and Caroline.
The narrator of the story, Dr. James Sheppard, Sheppard, is a clever and discreet discreet doctor, who cares deeply for his sister. He would do anything for her, but give up the kind of gossi gossipy py infor informat mation ion that that she she lives lives for. for. Dr. Dr. James James Shepp Sheppar ard d become becomes s oir oirot! ot!s s uno"cial assistant in the murder investigation, following him around town looking for clues clues and dis discus cussi sing ng suspe suspects cts and motive motives. s. James James is intrig intrigued ued by oir oirot! ot!s s inve invest stig igat ativ ive e skil skills ls and and keeps eeps a writ writte ten n acco accoun untt of the the case case thr through oughou outt the the investigation. James! secret hope is that one day he will publish this manuscript as one of oirot!s failures. James does not reali#e that oirot is more clever than James gave him credit for. $n the end, oirot solves the case and %nds James guilty of murder. <hough James is a murderer and blackmailer, he ends his story with an act of love for his sister. Dr. Sheppard's voice is ideal for telling the story. He's calm, not prone to gossip, a bit wry and the trusted town doctor. doctor. $n less able hands, these traits may have made him more suspicious than others, but Christie never let on that $ should look at the doctor with anything less than a trusting eye. The action of the novel is presented presented through the eyes of Dr. Dr. Sheppard, an unreliable unreliable narrator. The narrative voice is a masterful touch in the novel, fully appreciated upon a second reading of it. Christie knows that readers will be reminded of another famous doctor(narrator when reading this novel. )ike Dr James Sheppard is the narrator of the story and therefore possibly even more important to the plot than oirot himself* after all, the entire plot is narrated as seen through his eyes. He is a deeply intelligent and apparently caring man who wants nothing more than to %nd the murderer of his close friend, +oger &ckroyd. &ckroyd. However, there is a great deal more to Dr Sheppard Sheppard than initially meets the eye. The following attributes are particularly obvious )ove for his sister Dr Sheppard lives with his sister, Caroline, who keeps house for him. Caroline is a real gossip who knows everything there is to know about her neighbours, which drives the doctor to distraction at times. -evertheless, he cares for his sister very deeply* in fact, it is uite possible that she is the only person for whom he really cares. Certainly, when the story comes to an end and he is forced to decide on his ne/t move, he comes to his decision to save his sister from as much embarrassment as possible. 0f course, had he avoided his actions in the %rst place, he would have saved her from any embarrassment, but as the reader comes to understand, Dr Sheppard thinks far more of himself than anyone else. $ntelligence
Dr Sheppard is highly intelligent and not 1ust because he is medically2trained, but because he is able to read people in a very astute way. His narration shows that he has a deep understanding of people's words and actions and, because of this, he therefore knows e/actly how to manipulate them so that they do e/actly what he wants 3 often without them even realising. He is also able to react very uickly, so that when he is forced into a corner, he always knows the best way to e/tricate himself without looking remotely
&t %rst glance, Dr Sheppard is a kind, helpful man who will do what he can to solve other people's problems. However, there is a layer to him that he keeps successfully hidden. He knows e/actly how to use people's weaknesses to feather his own nest. He perpetuates the myth that he hates his sister's gossiping tendency, but he secretly listens with glee and, whenever possible, he uses what he learns for %nancial gain. $nitially, his blackmailing of a woman who has committed murder doesn't seem too serious 3 the more heinous crime, after all, is not his. However, the actions that he takes to cover up this blackmail highlight his deviousness. )ack of compassion Just as Dr Sheppard manages to cover up his crimes, he also hides his lack of compassion for other people. His love for his sister is apparent and is possibly his only redeeming feature. &ny feelings that he shows for anyone else are either made up, or are simply to ensure that he eventually gets his own way. 4or e/ample, his decision to hide +alph aton in a nursing home is ostensibly in aton's interest, but, as eventually becomes clear, it is to ensure that aton continues to be a ma1or suspect, simply because of his inability to proclaim his innocence. 5ltimately, Dr Sheppard is a character who highlights &gatha Christie's ability to hoodwink the reader. She presents him as a rather ordinary, but intelligent person, who would do no harm to anyone. However, his iniuity eventually comes to the fore, thanks to the ability of Hercule oirot to see beyond everyone's super%cial characteristics. Dr James Sheppard is a character who any reader will %nd hard to forget. C&+0)$-6 SH6&+D Caroline Sheppard is a middle2aged woman, presumably never married, who lives with her brother, James, and acts as housekeeper. 7hereas a spinster living in a tiny village doesn't sound particularly interesting, there is a lot more to Caroline Sheppard than is immediately obvious. She is a very realistic and colourful character who has a number of attributes* most of which are positive ones. -osiness
erhaps because she doesn't have a spouse or children, Caroline's main interest lies in the comings and goings of her friends and neighbours. She has the uncanny ability to sni8 out any gossip that is going and will not rest until she has found the answers to uestions she may have. She thinks nothing of going out of her way to spy on people or overhear their conversations, even though she often 1umps to conclusions before she works out the whole truth. 0nce she has her gossip, however, she doesn't necessarily pass it on to all and sundry 3 often her news stops with her brother, who does not approve of her gossiping tendencies. erspicacity Despite an occasional lack of understanding of the full situation, Caroline is an intelligent woman and often manages to work out the truth before anyone else. $n some ways, she is more astute than her brother and she provides Hercule oirot with a lot of tips. He often has to look at the information from a di8erent angle before %nding out what really happened, but Caroline presents a great starting point. &gatha Christie herself has suggested that Caroline Sheppard was a precursor to 9iss 9arple and there are certainly some similarities* for e/ample, both are nosy spinsters who use their local knowledge to ensure they know e/actly what is going on around them. :indness Caroline initially appears to be a nosy middle2aged woman with a desire to interfere in everyone's a8airs. However, this is not strictly true. She is actually a very kind woman who likes to know everything predominantly for her own interest. 7hen 5rsula ;ourne goes to oirot and Sheppard for help, she is distraught and it is Caroline who is the %rst to comfort her. This is another similarity between Caroline and 9iss 9arple* neither are portrayed as 1ealous of other people's lives 3 they simply want whatever is best for those who deserve it. Caroline, for e/ample, is delighted by the idea of a love a8air between +alph aton and 4lora, despite her single status.
)oyalty 0ne of Caroline's strongest traits is her loyalty to her brother. She occasionally pumps James for gossip, but would never consider gossiping to others about his private life. $t is probably this loyalty that blinds her to his faults. She does not appear to be aware, right up to the end of the book, that the murderer is her own brother. She has, after all, lived with him all her life, is proud of the fact that he is a medical man and that she can support him in his career. This loyalty and love is reciprocated. 0ne of James' saving graces is that he loves his sister and wants to cause her as little harm as possible.
Caroline Sheppard can be an infuriating character, especially when she is %rst introduced to the reader, but there is little doubt that The 9urder of +oger &ckroyd wouldn't have been as interesting without her presence. -osiness is often considered to be an unpleasant trait, but in Caroline, &gatha Christie shows that it can be a positive thing, provided it is well2meant. $t is perhaps a shame that Caroline Sheppard didn't appear in future &gatha Christie books.