The Mysterious Affair at Styles

by

Agatha Christie

The Fire Symbol Analysis

The Fire Symbol Icon

The fire burning in Emily Inglethorp’s bedroom on the night of her murder symbolizes how easy it can be to overlook clues that otherwise seem obvious. Nobody except Poirot makes much of the fact that Emily had a fire going in her bedroom, instead latching onto other details at the scene of the crime—like, for instance, the spilled coffee, the crushed cup, the upturned bedside table, or the green fabric found on the door leading to Cynthia’s room. Of course, some of these details end up helping Poirot piece together what happened that night, but the fire is perhaps the most conspicuous clue, even if it’s also the one hardly anyone thinks about. Poirot, however, identifies its significance almost right away and even urges Hastings to consider the weather on the day of Emily’s death. He tries to get his friend to think along these lines because doing so would help Hastings see that it was very strange for Emily to have a fire burning in her bedroom on one of the hottest nights of the entire year. And yet, Hastings still doesn’t give the fire any thought and is therefore surprised that Poirot is able to point to it as evidence that Emily wanted to destroy one of her wills. After all, there’s virtually no reason she would want a fire in her bedroom on such a hot night other than to destroy an important piece of paper. The fact that the fire is such a glaring clue that everyone ignores thus embodies the human tendency to ignore things hiding in plain sight. 

The Fire Quotes in The Mysterious Affair at Styles

The The Mysterious Affair at Styles quotes below all refer to the symbol of The Fire. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Logic and Deduction Theme Icon
).
Chapter 12: The Last Link Quotes

“Impossible!” I exclaimed. “She had only made it out that very afternoon!”

“Nevertheless, mon ami, it was Mrs. Inglethorp. Because, in no other way can you account for the fact that, on one of the hottest days of the year, Mrs. Inglethorp ordered a fire to be lighted in her room.”

Related Characters: Hercule Poirot (speaker), Captain Arthur Hastings (speaker), Emily Inglethorp, Mary Cavendish
Related Symbols: The Fire
Related Literary Devices:
Page Number: 189
Explanation and Analysis:
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The Fire Symbol Timeline in The Mysterious Affair at Styles

The timeline below shows where the symbol The Fire appears in The Mysterious Affair at Styles. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 2: The 16th and 17th of July
Logic and Deduction Theme Icon
Suspense, Intrigue, and Secrecy Theme Icon
...before the mail goes out. Having said this, she asks Dorcas if she lit a fire in her bedroom like she asked, and Dorcas assures her that she did. (full context)
Chapter 3: The Night of the Tragedy
Logic and Deduction Theme Icon
Suspense, Intrigue, and Secrecy Theme Icon
...out of the ordinary: just the trinkets on the mantelpiece and the ashes of the fire Mrs. Inglethorp had burning in the fireplace earlier that night. (full context)
Chapter 4: Poirot Investigates
Logic and Deduction Theme Icon
Suspense, Intrigue, and Secrecy Theme Icon
Wealth, Inheritance, and Power Theme Icon
Before leaving Mrs. Inglethorp’s bedroom, Poirot checks the fireplace for any clues. Sure enough, he finds a small scrap of unburnt paper. The only... (full context)
Chapter 12: The Last Link
Logic and Deduction Theme Icon
Suspense, Intrigue, and Secrecy Theme Icon
Wealth, Inheritance, and Power Theme Icon
...what Mary has said. After all, he adds, why would Emily Inglethorp have had a fire going on one of the hottest nights of the entire year? The answer, of course,... (full context)
Logic and Deduction Theme Icon
Suspense, Intrigue, and Secrecy Theme Icon
Wealth, Inheritance, and Power Theme Icon
...found her holding a piece of paper. Emily was very upset and asked for a fire to be made. Poirot reasons that something must have happened between 4:30 and 5:00 to... (full context)