Murder at the Vicarage

The Vicarage is a symbol of the village’s heart and pumps vitality into the theme of The Dynamics of Village Life. In small communities, the church and the Vicar are the center of the spiritual and social life during the early 20th century. All the quirks and personalities of the village are on display within its comfortable rooms. The Vicarage is open to all, which reinforces the heart and center of the village symbolism. Pathways, like blood vessels, lead to and from the vicarage. The primary one leads citizens directly into the Vicar’s study. Characters go in and out of the window or peek through the door like it is common property and not a private residence. All manner of gatherings happen there, including Sunday schools, social meetings, and ladies’ teas. The police and doctors gather there to trade information about the case. It offers a lens through which to see the Dynamics of a small village’s life and the perfect place for the narrator to live. The murderer struck a blow at the heart of the village by killing Protheroe in the vicarage. For the village and its symbolic heart to thrive again the murderer must be brought to justice; for much of the book the study is locked up and inaccessible.