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 [email protected] [email protected] 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. 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