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Symbols
The Nile has long been a symbol in literature and culture, going all the way back to the civilizations of ancient Egypt when it was seen as a life-giving force that governed the agricultural seasons. It is somewhat ironic, then, that Christie calls her novel Death on the Nile, given the river’s famous status as a source of life. Still, the ancient Egyptians were famous for their elaborate death rituals, most notably mummification and the construction of massive monuments to the dead. Some of these monuments feature in Death on the Nile, foreshadowing the deaths that will later occur on the steamer boat the Karnak. The river itself represents a place where all the main characters come together, much the way that various tributary rivers flow into the Nile. Despite coming from a wide variety of backgrounds, all of the characters are confined to the same steamer, and the Nile symbolizes the way that people of different cultures and classes are brought together and forced to interact.
Furthermore, the river flows inevitably in one direction, which parallels the situations that many of the characters are stuck in and serves as a symbol of impact of a person’s choices on the rest of their lives. For example, after Jacqueline makes her decision to go through with her scheme against Linnet, there is no turning back for her—she must continue on that path until she ultimately escapes or faces the consequences of her actions.
The Nile Quotes in Death on the Nile
The Death on the Nile quotes below all refer to the symbol of The Nile. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Chapter One
Quotes
“Ridgeway!”
“That’s her!” said Mr. Burnaby, the landlord of the Three Crowns.
He nudged his companion.
The two men stared with round bucolic eyes and slightly open mouths.
A big scarlet Rolls-Royce had just stopped in front of the local post office.
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Chapter Seven
Quotes
“Monsieur Poirot, I’m afraid—I’m afraid of everything. I’ve never felt like this before. All these wild rocks and the awful grimness and starkness. Where are we going? What’s going to happen? I’m afraid, I tell you. Everyone hates me. I’ve never felt like that before. I’ve always been nice to people—I’ve done things for them—and they hate me—lots of people hate me. Except for Simon, I’m surrounded by enemies . . . It’s terrible to feel—that there are people who hate you. . . .”
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Chapter Eighteen
Quotes
Poirot picked up the handkerchief and examined it.
“A man’s handkerchief-but not a gentleman’s handkerchief. Ce cher Woolworth, I imagine. Threepence at most.”
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Get the entire Death on the Nile LitChart as a printable PDF.
The Nile Symbol Timeline in Death on the Nile
The timeline below shows where the symbol The Nile appears in Death on the Nile. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter One
...going to places in Egypt and an upcoming trip on a steamer boat on the Nile. It also mentions a chance encounter with “my American trustee, Andrew Pennington,” who, the sender...
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Chapter Two
...over some rolls of film to get developed. Then they watch passengers departing from the Nile steamer boats.
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...to keep watching her without being seen. She looks out at the boats on the Nile with a pained but triumphant look in her eyes.
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Chapter Three
...then, the drinks arrive. All three of them become quiet and look out at the Nile.
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...reveals that the girl is Jacqueline, who lights her cigarette and stares out at the Nile, still smiling to herself.
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Chapter Four
...saw Jacqueline stalking them in Venice and Brindisi. When they took the boat up the Nile, they were prepared to see her on board, but instead, Jacqueline was waiting for them...
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Chapter Five
...her sitting on some rocks near the hotel that have a view out on the Nile. He asks to speak with her briefly. She gives a little smile and guesses that...
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Chapter Six
...about an elaborate plan they have to skip town using fake names to book a Nile steamer boat called the Karnak that goes to Wadi Halfa, and from there, they’ll move...
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...mentions that he himself was also already scheduled to be on the Karnak (the same Nile steamer that Linnet and Simon will be using to hopefully escape Jacqueline). Poirot insists, however,...
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...hear a detective’s shop talk and that Mrs. Allerton (who will also be sailing the Nile in the Karnak with her son, Tim) has been waiting for a chance to talk...
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Simon tells Poirot that he learned in Cairo that Pennington was taking the same Nile trip as Simon and Linnet. It’s been a relief, since Pennington helps Linnet keep her...
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Chapter Seven
...toward Philae (with the plan that they will ultimately go to Shellal to catch the Nile steamer boat the Karnak). Jacqueline, on the hotel balcony, watches them go. She does not,...
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...has letters to send before they take a trip to the Second Cataract (the same Nile boat trip that Poirot and many other characters will be taking). She then mentions her...
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...to act friendly toward her, since she and her mother will be taking the same Nile trip, and they’ll all be stuck on the same steamer.
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...hotel bus to a local station, beginning his journey to Shellal, where he’ll catch the Nile steamer. Mrs. Allerton, Tim, the dark-haired young man, and Signor Richetti travel along with Poirot....
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...watch the steamer depart and finds Rosalie at the deck rail, looking out at the Nile. Rosalie says she’ll be glad to be getting away from people, to which Poirot replies...
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...plans. But just as the steamer pulls away to begin their seven-day trip on the Nile to the Second Cataract, they hear Jacqueline laughing. Instantly, they lose their good humor. Jacqueline...
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...of the deck, where passengers can see the river) notices rocks falling down into the Nile as the steamer crosses into Nubia.
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Chapter Eight
...back to his cabin, he finds Jacqueline at the deck railing, looking out at the Nile with a miserable expression. When he wishes her goodnight, she asks if he’s surprised to...
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Chapter Nine
...been looking lately. Soon the whole party returns to the steamer, which continues up the Nile, and all the passengers seem to be in a better mood.
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Chapter Ten
On Monday morning, the Karnak steamer is moored on a bank of the Nile near a big temple, where four figures have been carved out of the side of...
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Chapter Sixteen
...stole wrapped around a pink-stained handkerchief and a small pistol, which was retrieved from the Nile. Poirot identifies it as Jacqueline’s, and Race confirms that bullets are the right type and...
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Chapter Twenty-Seven
...Tim takes the fake pearls out of the cardboard box and throws them into the Nile. He says that when he returns this box to Poirot it will have the real...
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Chapter Twenty-Nine
...initial premise about a spontaneous crime was incorrect when the pistol was recovered from the Nile. The velvet stole was a big clue—burn marks on the stole show that it did...
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...He then threw the pistol (with the handkerchief and stole) out the window into the Nile.
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