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چکیده
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This study offers an in-depth qualitative examination of the representation of masculinity in Agatha Christie’s detective fiction, with particular focus on Murder in Mesopotamia and The Mirror Crack’d from Side to Side. Grounded in R. W. Connell’s relational theory of masculinity, the research systematically analyzes the construction, negotiation, and destabilization of hegemonic, complicit, subordinated, and marginalized masculinities within Christie’s narrative world. By adopting a gender-critical and literary analytical framework, the study investigates how masculine identities are shaped through social power relations, ethical responsibility, emotional restraint, and institutional authority. The analysis pays close attention to narrative structure, characterization, dialogue, and investigative dynamics, demonstrating how Christie’s texts repeatedly expose the limitations and contradictions of hegemonic masculinity. Dominant male figures are frequently undermined through physical vulnerability, moral failure, psychological instability, and the operation of narrative justice, which collectively challenge traditional assumptions of masculine authority, rationality, and control. In contrast, complicit masculinities are shown to sustain patriarchal order indirectly through silence, conformity, and dependence on feminized or subordinate forms of labor, thereby reinforcing social hierarchies without overt dominance. Furthermore, the study highlights the ethical significance of marginalized and subordinated masculinities, which emerge as alternative modes of male identity grounded in emotional sensitivity, moral reflection, and relational accountability. These figures complicate rigid gender norms and reveal the fragility of socially enforced masculine ideals, particularly through processes of surveillance, suspicion, and social policing. The interactions between detectives and suspects serve as dialogic spaces in which competing masculine positions are articulated, contested, and re-evaluated. By examining spatial settings, temporal disruptions, and investigative encounters, the research demonstrates how Christie’s detective fiction pluralizes ethical frameworks and destabilizes conventional models of masculine power. Ultimately, this study positions Christie’s work as a significant site for literary, cultural, and pedagogical inquiry, illustrating how popular detective fiction can critically interrogate gender ideology and contribute to broader debates on masculinity, ethics, and social responsibility. The research concludes by proposing directions for future studies, including comparative analyses, postcolonial perspectives, and interdisciplinary approaches within digital humanities and gender studies.
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