over recent years
We haven't seen very much of him for the last few years.The Letter · 1940 — 第 3 / 15 章 · 3'58" · B2
Leslie Describes Shooting Hammond, Explained：the last straw
Leslie finally says what happened: Hammond grabbed her, she broke free, seized the revolver, and fired. "It was all instinctive. I didn't even know I'd fired." Her listeners accept it at once — "the man only got what he deserved" — and Robert comforts her as a victim, not a killer.
あらすじ
Leslie finishes her account of the night. She says Hammond refused to leave, that his remark about Robert being away was the last straw, and that she lost her temper. When he grabbed and kissed her, they fell; she grabbed Robert's revolver and fired. Withers asks why the gun was there, and the group accepts her story.
注目の表現
the last strawlose my temperinstinctivefor your own good
00:00 / 03:58Space 再生 · ← → セリフ移動 · R リピート
いま
このシーンの表現
the last straw
the final trigger
The moment Hammond says Robert is away, Leslie snaps; she names it as the turning point.
His third excuse was the last straw for me.
このシーンの他の表現
- lose my temper
become angry
- instinctive
done without thinking
- for your own good
for your benefit
- what he deserved
his just outcome
このシーンのメモ一覧
67 行のセリフに 20 件のメモ
serve oneself
Well, he helped himself to another whisky and soda.start to suspect
I began to wonder if he'd been drinking before.not at all
I was quite friendly, not the least bit frightened.The t in least often drops, and not the runs together as no-the.
I was quite friendly, not the least bit frightened.came into my mind
Never occurred to me I couldn't manage him.save you from it
I wish there were some way we could spare you, Mrs. Crosbie.for your benefit
Robert urges Leslie to finish, telling her that knowing the facts is for her own good.
Leslie, it's for your own good that we know the facts...it-cleft: The it-cleft pushes for your own good to the front so the claim of kindness is what we hear first.
Leslie, it's for your own good that we know the facts...what remains
Very well, I'll tell you the rest.strange, odd — Colloquial for odd in a worrying way, not ha-ha funny.
He just stood there looking at me, and his eyes were all funny.concessive clause: The even-if clause grants an extreme case first, which makes her rejection sound absolute.
"And even if I didn't love him, you'd be the last man in the world I should care for."the final trigger
The moment Hammond says Robert is away, Leslie snaps; she names it as the turning point.
Well, that was the last straw.pull oneself free
I struggled to tear myself away from him.a crazed person — Colloquial for someone out of control; it carries a strong insult.
He seemed like a madman.done without thinking
Leslie insists she never decided to fire, framing the act as pure reflex rather than choice.
It was all instinctive. I didn't even know I'd fired.in quick succession
I don't remember anything more, just the reports one after another till there was a funny little click, and the revolver was empty.Link after another into after-nother and let the rhythm quicken.
I don't remember anything more, just the reports one after another till there was a funny little click, and the revolver was empty.his just outcome
Someone sums up the killing by declaring the dead man merely got what he deserved.
It's quite obvious the man only got what he deserved.restore him to life
And yet I'd give almost anything in the world to bring him back to life.「Leslie Describes Shooting Hammond」を読み解く
What's really going on
Leslie's story is the strongest test of her performance, and it is built to be believed. She supplies exactly the details that support self-defense: no fear early on — "I was quite friendly, not the least bit frightened" — a temper that finally snaps because of the last straw, and a shooting she did not consciously intend: "It was all instinctive. I didn't even know I'd fired." That single line does the heaviest work, converting killing into reflex and keeping her hands clean. The people around her complete the performance for her, supplying the moral verdict — "the man only got what he deserved" — before any evidence is weighed. Robert, calling her "my poor darling," frames her as a victim while the weapon was in fact his own. What is never asked is the question that matters: why she kept firing until the revolver was empty.
Theme
DeceptionLeslie's 'instinctive' shooting is a story engineered to turn a killing into reflex and keep her blameless.
GuiltShe keeps saying she can't go on and calls the memory horrible, but the tale still protects her.
このチャプターで学べること
- Naming the last straw is how she justifies the shot.
- Claiming reflex is a legal move, not just emotion.
- Her husband's comfort doubles as her defence.
- The calm retelling is more damning than any scream.
発音のポイント
- not the least — The t in least often drops, and not the runs together as no-the.
- one after another — Link after another into after-nother and let the rhythm quicken.
Well, that was the last straw.The remark that Robert was away is what finally enraged her, the last provocation in a night she claims she tolerated calmly.
It was all instinctive. I didn't even know I'd fired.She denies intent, describing the shooting as reflex rather than a decision, which is central to her claim of self-defense.
It was only then I knew what I'd done.She says awareness came only after the shots stopped, when the empty revolver told her what she had done.
You did what every woman would have done in your place.Robert's comfort frames her as any woman defending herself, erasing doubt and treating the killing as natural.
And yet I'd give almost anything in the world to bring him back to life.She claims grief and regret for Hammond, a display of remorse that makes her seem soft rather than calculating.
I wish there were some way we could spare you, Mrs. Crosbie.The listener's polite sympathy, which both excuses her from speaking and invites the confession they need.
このシーンについての質問
Why does Leslie say she fired without knowing it?
To deny intent. 'It was all instinctive' turns the killing into reflex rather than deliberate murder, which supports her claim that she acted in self-defense.
Why does Leslie mention the last straw?
It explains her anger. Saying Hammond's remark about Robert was the last straw lets her admit rage while still presenting herself as patient and provoked, not willing.
Why was Robert's revolver in the house?
Robert says he left a loaded weapon for Leslie since he was often away at night. That detail makes the gun's presence look ordinary rather than planned.
Why do the listeners accept Leslie's story so easily?
They already frame Hammond as the aggressor. One of them says 'the man only got what he deserved,' so they judge the killing before weighing any evidence.
Who asks about the revolver, and why?
Withers asks how the gun came to be there, because the weapon's location matters for the case and he needs an explanation that fits Leslie's account.
The Letter · 全 15 章
すべて見る →
次のチャプター · 第 4 章like grim deathJoyce Questions Leslie About the Body
第 1 章riddled with bulletsLeslie Confesses After the Shooting
第 2 章put my back upLeslie Recounts the Night Hammond Died
再生中 · 第 3 章the last strawLeslie Describes Shooting Hammond
第 4 章like grim deathJoyce Questions Leslie About the Body
第 5 章go to blazesOng Brings Joyce a Delicate Matter
第 6 章put a different complexion onOng Brings Joyce the Letter
第 7 章a hairsbreadthHoward Confronts Leslie Over a Letter
第 8 章talk very plainlyHoward Confronts Leslie About the Letter
第 9 章save your neckHoward Refuses to Buy the Letter
第 10 章go to the devilOng Chi Seng Names His Price
第 11 章get hold ofHoward Tells Bob to Buy the Letter
第 12 章put all your eggs in one basketRobert Announces the Move to Sumatra
第 13 章throw cold water onRobert Learns What the Letter Cost
第 14 章in love withLeslie Confesses Loving Hammond
第 15 章good sportLeslie's Party After the Trial第 3 / 15 章 · 残り約 39 分