have stayed in a state
We have been happy, haven't we?The Letter · 1940 — 第 4 / 15 章 · 2'39" · B2
Joyce Questions Leslie About the Body, Explained：like grim death
Everyone is being kind to Leslie the night before the trial — her husband, the guests, even the lawyer. The kindness is a cover for a harder question: "some of the shots must have been fired after he was lying on the ground." Leslie's answer is terror and confusion, and no one pushes further.
あらすじ
On the night before Leslie Crosbie's trial, she and her husband Robert reassure each other at home while guests chat about the dead man, Hammond. Later the lawyer Howard Joyce takes Leslie aside and asks about the body: some shots, he says, appear to have been fired after Hammond was already on the ground. Leslie says she was terrified and confused.
注目の表現
like grim deathbound totake his whackput it out of your mind
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このシーンの表現
like grim death
with desperate grip
Watching Leslie tell her story, Joyce sees that her calm is a desperate act of holding on.
He clung to the railing like grim death.
このシーンの他の表現
- bound to
certain to happen
- take his whack
hold his drink
- put it out of your mind
stop thinking about it
- brought it up
raised the topic
このシーンのメモ一覧
50 行のセリフに 21 件のメモ
the finest one could wish for
You've been the best wife a man could have.I wish that
If only there was something I could do.that is enough for me
You can love me. That's all I need.if I could do it even more
Leslie, darling, if I could love you any more, I would now.keeping herself together
You could see that she was just holding on to herself like grim death.Link like and grim, then land hard on death.
You could see that she was just holding on to herself like grim death.a contemptible man — A heavy insult for a man; never say it to his face.
I say, what a swine that man was.hold his drink
Asked whether Hammond drank heavily, Joyce gives a fair answer, conceding the man could hold his drink.
He could take his whack, but I never saw him actually drunk.meet by chance
I've heard of him, of course, but I never happened to meet him.cannot avoid doing
He was the sort of chap you couldn't help liking.relative clause: The clause modifies chap, and couldn't help liking means you could not help but like him.
He was the sort of chap you couldn't help liking.before long
That's true. Well, they ought to be ready pretty soon.The t in ought to often drops, so it sounds like oughta.
That's true. Well, they ought to be ready pretty soon.good heavens — An old-fashioned exclamation; today it sounds dated or playful.
By George, that's beautiful.space for someone
Is there room for me, or shall I follow in my car?certain to arise
I'm sorry, my dear, but this is a question that's bound to come up.must certainly have happened
It seemed to me that some of the shots must have been fired after he was lying on the ground.modal perfect passive: Must have been fired marks a confident guess about a past passive action.
It seemed to me that some of the shots must have been fired after he was lying on the ground.raised the topic
Joyce regrets the question the moment he asks it and apologizes for raising it too soon.
I shouldn't have brought it up tonight.stop thinking about it here it means to stop dwelling on it, not to go insane
Put it out of your mind.「Joyce Questions Leslie About the Body」を読み解く
What's really going on
The night before the trial is built as a quiet social occasion, and that is exactly what makes it tense. Everyone is careful with Leslie: Robert promises "Nobody's going to do anything to you," and the guests praise how she told her story, saying "You could see that she was just holding on to herself like grim death." But the scene is also an investigation in disguise. Joyce's question — "some of the shots must have been fired after he was lying on the ground" — is the first hard piece of physical evidence that does not match a simple story of one terrified woman firing at an attacker. Leslie does not deny it; she explains it away with fear — "I was so terrified" and "I didn't know what I was doing" — and the room lets her. Joyce even apologises for raising it, then tells her to put it out of her mind. The politeness is the problem: everyone already knows which answer they want.
Theme
DeceptionLeslie's account of the shooting is repeated and defended, while Joyce's question about shots fired after Hammond fell quietly undercuts it.
MarriageRobert's tenderness and 'Nobody's going to do anything to you' show a husband protecting his wife from a truth he does not want to see.
このチャプターで学べること
- The comfort between the couple is also a rehearsal for court.
- Joyce's question shows the defence has a hole in it.
- Her calm is described as effort, not coldness.
- The last line protects the lawyer's conscience, not hers.
発音のポイント
- like grim — Link like and grim, then land hard on death.
- ought to — The t in ought to often drops, so it sounds like oughta.
We have been happy, haven't we?Leslie asks Robert to confirm their past happiness, reaching for reassurance as the trial approaches and her story is about to be tested.
You could see that she was just holding on to herself like grim death.A guest's admiring description of Leslie's composure: she seemed to be holding herself together with desperate effort.
You know the sort... very breezy, devil-may-care, generous with his money.A guest's description of Hammond: easy-going, reckless and free with money — the charming type people liked.
Well, how can you tell what a man will do when he's drunk?The guests' way of excusing Hammond's behaviour: they suggest drink explains anything, so his conduct need not trouble them.
I'm sorry, my dear, but this is a question that's bound to come up.Joyce's apology for asking about the shooting; he frames the question as unavoidable rather than personal.
I shouldn't have brought it up tonight.Joyce regrets raising the question so late at night, retreating after Leslie explains the extra shots as panic.
このシーンについての質問
Why does Joyce question Leslie the night before the trial?
He has examined Hammond's body and noticed that some shots were fired after Hammond was already on the ground. He wants her explanation before the trial, when the question is certain to come up.
Why does Leslie say she fired so many times?
She says she was terrified and that everything was confused and blurred, so she did not know what she was doing. It explains the extra shots as panic rather than intent.
What does 'like grim death' mean?
It means holding on with desperate determination, as if to the death. A guest says Leslie held on to herself like grim death while telling her story.
Why does Joyce drop the subject afterwards?
He apologises for raising it and tells Leslie to put it out of her mind. He is protecting her as much as preparing her defence.
What are the guests saying about Hammond?
They call him a swine for what he did, yet also recall him as a charming, generous drinker you could not help liking, a mix that shows their sympathy lies with Leslie.
The Letter · 全 15 章
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次のチャプター · 第 5 章go to blazesOng Brings Joyce a Delicate Matter
第 1 章riddled with bulletsLeslie Confesses After the Shooting
第 2 章put my back upLeslie Recounts the Night Hammond Died
第 3 章the last strawLeslie Describes Shooting Hammond
再生中 · 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 4 / 15 章 · 残り約 36 分