Markheim (Masterplots II: Short Story Series, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: Robert Louis Stevenson
- First Published: 1887
- Type of Plot: Psychological
- Time of Work: Christmas Day during the nineteenth century
- Setting: London
- Principal Characters: Markheim, The dealer, The visitor
- Genres: Psychological fiction, Short fiction
- Subjects: Crime or criminals, Murder or homicide, Nineteenth century, England or English people, London, Holidays, Hallucinations or illusions, Christmas
- Locales: London, England
The Story
At Christmastime, Markheim, the protagonist, comes to a dealer's shop, pretending that he is looking for a present for a lady. His real plan, however, is to murder the dealer so he can steal his merchandise and money. Markheim rejects the dealer's suggestion of a hand mirror for the lady, referring to it as a “hand conscience.” Presumably, from his reaction to the mirror, Markheim feels twinges from his conscience even before he commits the murder. While the dealer is still in the midst of assisting him in finding a present, Markheim stabs and kills him.
...[The entire page is 1392 words long]
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