The Case for the Defense

The narrator describes Mrs. Salmon as the ideal witness due to her demeanor and trustworthiness. Her slight Scottish accent, honest expression, and kind nature make her appear credible and sincere....

The "extraordinary day" in "The Case for the Defense" signifies the shift from certainty to complete doubt and confusion. Initially, the trial's outcome seems definite, but by the end, there is...

Mrs. Salmon's significance in "The Case For The Defence" lies in her role as the ideal witness, embodying honesty, care, and civic duty. She represents the foundation of the legal system, where...

You are right that there are supposed to have been four witnesses who saw Adams around the time of the crime.  Mrs. Salmon, of course, saw him from her window.  Henry MacDougall nearly...

I think that an alternate ending for the story could focus on Mrs. Salmon.  The idea of the eyewitness, someone tangential to the event in question, becoming the center of the story could be...

The defense counsel's argument against Mr. Adams's conviction in "The Case for the Defense" is that the star prosecution witness cannot be sure that she saw Mr. Adams, as opposed to his identical...

The twist in the story's "tail" is only possible because Greene has constructed a narrative that seems to follow the reader's expectations only to undermine it at the end.  The reader is...

I think that one of the most thematically significant purposes behind the title is the idea that the defense actually had a case.  It was quite a good one.  The entire exposition of the...

The line suggests the absolute certainty with which the accused Adams was perceived to be guilty in the exposition of the trial.  The line that precedes it helps to establish its...

Greene's story begins with the premise that guilt is almost guaranteed in the murder case.  There is strong eyewitness testimony that links the accused with the crime.  Led by Mrs....

I don't really see what the crown counsel could have done at that point.  There is no way any witness who doesn't know the twins very well is going to be able to say which of them committed...

One particular reason why "The Case for the Defense" is a mystery is because we do not know who dies at the end.  This element fits this aspect of the mystery genre because the reader is...

I think that the most obvious element about the short story being seen as a thriller is that it contradicts the reader's expectations.  Both inside and outside of the courthouse, I think that...

The narrator of the story makes this abundantly clear in the exposition of the story.  It seems that all of the elements needed to prove guilt in the courtroom setting is evident.  The...

In Graham Greene's "The Case for the Defense," suspense is skillfully maintained through unexpected twists and uncertainty. The courtroom drama heightens suspense, particularly during Mrs. Salmon's...