Witness for the Prosecution

Fiction | Short Story | Adult | Published in 1995

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Themes

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Literary Devices

In Media Res

Like many short stories, “The Witness for the Prosecution” begins in media res, or “in the middle of things”: The story opens not only in the middle of Mayherne’s conversation with Vole, but also after several key events have already happened, including, most notably, the murder itself. In part, this technique serves as a way to save time in the relatively compressed short story format, allowing writers to cut straight to the main conflict while only briefly sketching out the broader plot. Within the mystery genre, it also helps to heighten suspense, with the lack of detail working in tandem with and heightening the reader’s desire to uncover the truth about the story’s events.

Perspective

Perspective is the point of view from which a narrative unfolds—typically first or third person, although there are rare instances of works that use the second person. “The Witness for the Prosecution” is told in third person limited through the eyes of Mayherne; the reader is privy to the lawyer’s internal monologue, but no one else’s. This restricted viewpoint is typical of the mystery