The Dark Side of Love: A Tragedy on the Nile

In Keigo Higashino’s novel “Malice,” there resides an intriguing sentence:

The true depths of animosity concealed by those individuals in your life who appear to be intimately close to you remain unknown.

It is revealed that not only your adversaries bear ill will towards you, but your beloveds and companions may also bring about your demise.

Such is the nature of humanity, the most enigmatic entity in existence.

Agatha Christie, renowned as the “Queen of Mystery Novels,” masterfully illustrates the intricacy and obscurity of human nature in her work titled “Tragedy on the Nile.”

“Tragedy on the Nile” recounts the tale of a peculiar murder that unfolds aboard a cruise ship traversing the Nile River.

Within this gripping narrative, the most disheartening aspect lies not in the fervent passion that drives individuals to madness, but rather in the interwoven humanity concealed beneath the veil of love.

The world undergoes rapid change, and the human heart remains capricious.

Upon reading “Tragedy on the Nile,” one attains a profound comprehension of the intricate nature of humanity.

In the small town of Malton, a momentous event unfurls: the young, beautiful, and affluent Linnet announces her intention to acquire land and construct a residence within the confines of the town.

Upon receiving this news, her confidante Jacqueline promptly contacts Linnet, aspiring to secure the services of her fiancé Simon as the town’s real estate agent.

Jacqueline has recently become engaged to Simon, who is impoverished and jobless. Both of them are in dire need of employment to alleviate their financial burdens.

Upon hearing Jacqueline’s request, Linnet refrains from an immediate decision and instead suggests that Jacqueline arrange an interview with Simon.

The following day, the two individuals arrive as scheduled.

The instant Linnet opens the door, she is captivated by the allure of this young man, bearing a countenance adorned with childlike mirth.

Without hesitation, she extends her hand in invitation and utters, “Enter, my newfound purveyor of real estate.”

Gradually, as Linnet engages in further interaction with Simon, she finds herself increasingly enamored by his striking presence. She finds solace in his warm and sturdy hands, as well as his genuine admiration for her…

Compelled by Linnet’s ardent pursuit, Simon renounces his existing engagement, promptly becomes betrothed to Linnet, and embarks on a honeymoon voyage around the world.

In life, we, too, may experience a state of mind akin to Linnet’s:

When one possesses white roses, the allure of red roses becomes irresistible; when one attains wealth and influence, the longing for fame and fortune persists.

Alas, it is widely known that a moment of indulgence may engender a lifetime of remorse, and a moment of greed may usher in tragedy.

Indeed, when one gazes into the abyss, the abyss gazes back.

Upon arriving at the Falls Hotel on the Nile River for their honeymoon, a dramatic scene unfolds:

Jacqueline abruptly materializes on the riverside path, causing Linnet to recoil in fear and emit a piercing scream.

Simon contemplates venting his anger on his wife’s behalf, but he discovers a stranger standing in the adjacent garden. Plunged into desperation, he is left with no choice but to suppress his rage and offer an awkward response.

Overwhelmed with despair, Linnet exclaims, “Oh heavens, how shall we confront this haunting persecution?”

Fortunately, Linnet swiftly devises a solution.

She discerns that the stranger occupying the garden is the renowned detective Poirot, who happens to be lodging at the same hotel.

Following dinner, Linnet seeks out Poirot. After providing a brief account of their shared romantic history, she proceeds directly to the crux of the matter:

Emotional affairs elude coercion. Nonetheless, Jacqueline persistently shadowed our steps, threatening to extinguish our lives. This irrational conduct is truly dreadful; kindly impede her.

Poirot mercilessly exposes the root of her unease as an internal sense of guilt.

Initially, Linnet vehemently denies this assertion. Eventually, she lowers her voice and implores Poirot to “devise a means to halt it.”

Indeed, in this world, love often evokes sadness within us.

When we were young, we embraced Tsangyang Gyatso’s sentiment, “Engage in joyous endeavors with your beloved, heedless of whether they bring calamity or destiny.”

Only after enduring loss and setbacks did we realize that matrimony and love are frequently entangled with conspiracies and intrigues.

As the age-old adage proclaims:

What one perceives as a harmonious union may transmute into a fatal calamity; the love one staunchly believes surpasses all riches may prove to be a contemptible scheme.

And to fall in love with one whom we ought not to love marks the commencement of tragedy.

There is a line in “Ashes of Time”:

Anyone can become vicious when you are consumed by desire.

The next morning, someone brought Poirot big news: Linnet was shot dead last night!

Everyone rushed to the scene and found Linnet lying peacefully with a fatal gunshot wound above his ear.

On the white wall beside him, there was a letter “J” written crookedly in reddish-brown liquid.

Since a murder occurred on the ship, Poirot could only suspend his vacation and start investigating.

First, while searching Linnet’s room, Poirot found two bottles of nail polish, one empty and one full. The empty bottles smelled like ink.

Secondly, Poirot once believed that the letter “J” on the wall was done by the murderer to frame Jacqueline.

But when Jacqueline’s pistol was fished out of the river, this theory was rejected: since he wanted to frame Jacqueline, he would not throw the pistol with Jacqueline’s name on it into the river.

The most abnormal thing is that when talking to Linnet’s maid in front of Simon, Poirot found that the maid was vague and even asked Simon evasively “what should she see.”

As the saying goes, when things go wrong, there will always be a monster.

After careful consideration, Poirot suddenly realized that the reason why she spoke like this was to implicitly blackmail the murderer who was at the scene of the conversation.

At this point, Poirot is convinced that the murderer has been identified: that is Linnet’s husband, Simon!

Such a meticulous plan would never be completed by Simon alone. The other accomplice is Jacqueline!

With everything in mind, Poirot finally restored the ins and outs of the murder to everyone in the cruise ship hall.

In order to create alibi for each other, Jacqueline shot and “injured” Simon; Simon covered his leg with a handkerchief covered in red ink to show everyone that he was seriously injured.

At the same time, he insisted that everyone escort Jacqueline back to the room first, and also created a perfect alibi for Jacqueline.

And Jacqueline seemingly inadvertently kicked the gun under the sofa just to make it easier for Simon to access it.

After everyone left, Simon quickly went to the cabin and killed Linnet. Then he returned to the hall, wrapped the muzzle of the gun in the guest’s forgotten velvet scarf, and shot himself. Then, he threw the scarf and the gun into the river. inside.

Since then, Pandora’s box has been opened, and endless blood has spread on the ship:

The maid who extorted money was killed by Simon, and another passenger who was about to tell the truth was shot dead by Jacqueline…

But no matter how seamless Simon and Jacqueline’s plans are, they still can’t escape the sharp eyes of Detective Poirot.

The murderer is found and the cruise ship can finally dock.

But at this moment, a shocking scene happened.

In order to avoid jail, Jacqueline shot Simon on the stretcher first, and then shot herself.

With the sound of gunshots, all love and hatred disappeared, and all evil causes found their source:

It turns out that Simon and Jacqueline loved each other deeply, but the tight life pressure made them breathless, so they racked their brains to make a fortune.

When Linnet ignored his friendship and went his own way to pursue Simon, Simon had evil intentions and designed to seize Linnet’s property.

Seeing that she could not stop Simon’s evil intentions, Jacqueline, who loved Simon deeply, decided to risk her life to accompany him.

This bizarre murder broke the stereotype that the murderer only has an evil side and revealed a naked truth to the world:

In relationships, love may be simple, but human nature is complex.

There is no boundary between good and evil. Some people become Buddhas with just one thought, while others become demons with just one thought.

There is never a clear distinction between good and bad.

If you cannot guard the last line of defense in your heart and have evil thoughts in your heart, you will be bewitched by your inner demons and gradually embark on the path of becoming a devil.

It is not easy to be happy when you understand the complexity of human nature, but it is not easy to be disillusioned either.

If you don’t understand the dangers of the world and the unpredictable nature of people’s hearts, you are doomed to suffer a lot in the game with reality.

But on the other hand, it also reminds us:

Life is difficult, but it is not a shield for doing evil; if you are not living well, it is not a reason to hurt others.

After all, no matter how complex and unpredictable the world is, just be kind and God will have his own arrangements.