Which Was the Murderer? Flashcards
by Robert Barr — tap or click to flip
Flashcard Review
Flashcards: Which Was the Murderer?
What is Mrs. Forder doing when the story opens?
She is singing while attending to morning duties, having no premonition of the disaster about to unfold.
Why does Walter Radnor shoot John Forder?
Radnor believes Forder secretly sabotaged his political ambitions regarding a contested office, and their heated argument escalates because Radnor has a revolver in his hip pocket.
Why is Radnor unable to escape after shooting Forder?
He had closed the front gate tightly for privacy, but the high wall that blocked observation also prevented escape. Mrs. Forder's screams drew a crowd before he could undo the latch.
What legal condition must be met for Radnor to be tried for murder?
Forder must die within a legally specified time period after the assault. If he survives past the deadline, Radnor can only be charged with a lesser offense.
How does Mrs. Forder learn about the legal deadline?
She overhears two strangers talking on the other side of the garden wall about the approaching deadline and Judge Brent's reputation as a "hanging judge."
What do the physicians tell Mrs. Forder on Saturday morning?
They confirm there is no hope for her husband's recovery -- he may live days or weeks, but he will never get better.
How does Mrs. Forder kill her husband?
When the nurse briefly leaves the room, she presses John's face to her bosom and smothers him, whispering that he will "know and understand."
What happens to Walter Radnor at the end of the story?
He is tried for murder before Judge Brent, who delivers a devastating charge to the jury. The jury convicts in ten minutes, and Radnor is hanged.
Who is John Forder and what is his role in the story?
He is a young married man who is shot by Walter Radnor in his own front garden. He lies insensible for weeks and never regains consciousness before his wife smothers him.
What is Walter Radnor's political background?
He has strong political backing and "claims" on a political office. His allies expected to get him pardoned even if convicted of a lesser charge.
What is Mrs. Forder's brother's profession, and how does he react to her state of mind?
He is a leading lawyer. He notices "the light of insanity in her eyes" when she speaks of Radnor and grows gravely apprehensive about her mental stability.
Who is Judge Brent?
A judge known throughout the state as a "hanging judge" with no patience for crimes growing out of politics. His court is where Radnor's case would be heard if Forder dies within the deadline.
Why does the public initially turn against Radnor despite his political connections?
He violated the unwritten "code of assassination" by shooting an unarmed man in his own garden, almost in front of his wife, giving the victim no chance to defend himself.
How does the story illustrate the failure of the legal system to deliver justice?
An arbitrary time limit on murder charges means a clearly guilty shooter could escape punishment simply because his victim lingers too long, and political connections could further reduce any sentence.
How does the story explore the tension between love and vengeance?
Mrs. Forder's act of smothering her husband is simultaneously an expression of love (ending his suffering) and vengeance (ensuring his killer is hanged), making the two motives inseparable.
What does the story suggest about political corruption and accountability?
Radnor's allies plan to use political influence to secure bail, reduce charges, and obtain a gubernatorial pardon -- showing how power can undermine justice at every level.
How does the story challenge the reader's notion of moral absolutes?
It presents a killing motivated by love and justice rather than malice, forcing readers to question whether a morally justified act can also be murder.
What is situationally ironic about Radnor closing the garden gate?
He closes it for privacy, but the same barrier that blocks observers from seeing in also traps him inside and prevents his escape.
What is ironic about who most wants John Forder to survive?
The man who shot him -- Walter Radnor -- is the most anxious for Forder's recovery, because Forder's survival past the deadline would save Radnor from a murder charge.
How does Barr use foreshadowing through Mrs. Forder's oath to her brother?
She swears before God that if Radnor escapes justice, she will kill him herself. This signals her capacity for extreme action, though her target ultimately shifts.
From what point of view is the story told, and what effect does this create?
Third-person omniscient. The narrator reveals the thoughts of multiple characters -- wife, lawyers, public -- building dramatic irony as all parties approach the deadline with different knowledge.
What does "machinations" mean as used in the story?
Secret schemes or plots. Radnor attributes his political defeat to the "secret machinations" of John Forder.
What does "assiduously" mean in the context of Mrs. Forder nursing her husband?
With great care and diligence. It describes her tireless, devoted attention to her dying husband.
What does "usurped" mean in the phrase "other startling events occurred which usurped the place held by the Forder tragedy"?
Took over or seized by force. Newer events replaced the Forder shooting as the public's focus of attention.
What does Mrs. Forder whisper to her husband before smothering him?
"John, you know and you will understand." She believes their bond is deep enough that he would approve of what she is about to do.
What does Mrs. Forder's brother mean when he says such miscarriages of justice "occur every year, and many times a year"?
He acknowledges that the legal system routinely fails victims, especially when assailants have political connections -- and that this case is not exceptional.
What does the narrator say about the effect of Radnor's execution?
That his hanging "did more perhaps than anything that ever happened in the State to make life within that commonwealth more secure," suggesting justice was ultimately served through Mrs. Forder's act.