Answering the Question in the Murder Mystery Essay -- Literature

A murder mystery is a type of closed text or resolved suspense that follows a structure. The characters are following a plot structure, the evidence is following a reveal structure, and that will lead to a resolution. â€Å"In closed texts, the murder is found, the mystery resolved, the ghost exposed as a mechanical illusion, or the lovers are able to consummate their love† (Bennett 197). Almost all murder mysteries are considered closed texts because of the structure that the texts tend to follow. The novel has a victim that has been murdered. The victim has many possible murderers for many possible reasons—all equally valid, so it seems. The victim has a person trying to solve the case. Through various means of detection, the murderer is sought and found. So, the question of â€Å"Who done it?† is answered by a human character usually—I am sure that animals have played the part of detective before. The murder mystery is closed, the victim has a murderer; the murderer is caught, the world can return to normal. This concept is the typical ideal of a closed text. As humans, we have a need to understand the world in which we live, which seems to be a common desire. The essential question of â€Å"Why am I here?†Ã¢â‚¬â€the most sought after answer in all of human existence that has yet to be adequately answered has a similar question that typically can be answered—â€Å"Who murdered the victim?† Every human wants to know, at some point in time in his or her life, why he or she is here on this planet. Are we here to serve a purpose; are we here with no purpose; or are we here to enjoy what [insert your own deity or belief system] has given. People want to know; they are constantly searching for some answer to the question of â€Å"Why†¦?,† as can ... ...s and Charles Simic.† The American Scholar 74.2 (2005): 49-56. Kriner, Tiffany Eberle. â€Å"Conjuring Hope in a Body: Lucille Clifton’s Eschatology.† Christianity and Literature 54.2 (Winter 2005): 185-208. Lee, Li-Young. Rose: Poems. Rochester, New York: BOA Editions, Ltd., 1986. "Romanticism." The American Heritage ® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004. 12 Aug. 2008. . Simic, Charles. Sixty Poems. New York: Harcourt, INC., 2007. "Surrealism." Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Random House, Inc. 12 Aug. 2008. . "Transcendentalism." The American Heritage ® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2005. 12 Aug. 2008. .