Manifestations of Crime and Justice in Nancy Drew Books

Abstract

The character Nancy Drew is a young American sleuth. Nancy is a blonde-haired and blue-eyed eighteen-year-old who fights bad guys and always solves the mystery in the end. The books of the same name, authored by the pseudonym Carolyn Keene, details the young woman’s experience as she is solving mysteries in her hometown. This research paper examines Nancy Drew books in terms of the crimes committed in the book, how these crimes are solved, and how the crime-doers are dealt with. It also examines representations of police and other aspects of the criminal justice system. It is hypothesized that most crimes depicted in these books are property crimes. It is also hypothesized that Nancy will be solving these mysteries and crimes with the help of family and friends. Finally, the police will arrest these offenders, after Nancy reveals the issue of course. It is also hypothesized that the police will be depicted in a positive light, being shown as helpful and competent. This was accomplished through a content analysis of three Nancy Drew Books: The Secret of the Old Clock, The Hidden Staircase, and The Mystery at the Lilac Inn. It is found that the majority of crimes shown in these books are property crimes. Also, Nancy solves the crimes in the books, sometimes with the help of the police. The offenders are always arrested at the end of the story. The police are depicted as competent and willing to help, but some characters express reservations about requesting their help. Interesting future research could examine how these characters’ reservations reflect police attitudes in America when the books were released.