A Pocket Full of Rye

Multiple characters, at various points in the plot, take in Yewtree Lodge and draw conclusions about it. Inspector Neele dislikes it instantly, noting that it bears no resemblance to the small porter’s lodge in which he grew up. Instead, it reflects the nouveau riche pretensions of the Fortescues, as “just the kind of mansion that rich people built themselves and then called ‘our little place in the country’” (28). Neele notes that an old yew tree is practically the only surviving reminder of the area’s past: “[S]ince it was a valuable antique the tree had been kept and incorporated in the new setup” (29). Those like the Fortescues have no interest in nature as a source of peace or aesthetic satisfaction, only as a display of wealth. The tree’s role as the likely source of the poison underscores the idea that there is something unhealthy in the landscape. It reinforces the theme of Class, Ambition, and Transgression.

Pat Fortescue, tellingly, reaches similar conclusions to Neele. She criticizes the overly manicured gardens and selection of plants and intensely dislikes the yew trees. Lance tries to tell her that this is only due to their association with the murder, but she tells Miss Marple later, “I don’t believe this was ever a happy house” (193).