My dear readers,
If you're interested, I recommend the following biographical graphic novel to learn more about the Queen of Mystery.
-A. Eleazar
 |
About the Author
Dame Agatha Christie was born Agatha
Mary Clarissa Miller on September 15, 1890 in Torquay, Devon. At a young age,
she had shown an interest in reading and a talent in writing. After her father died, Agatha and her mother became close and often travelled around the world.
In 1912, Agatha met Colonel
Archibald "Archie" Christie, a Royal Flying Corps aviator. During World War I, Archie
was in France and Agatha volunteered as a nurse. They got married on Christmas
Eve 1914. Their daughter, Rosalind, was born on August 5, 1919.
In 1920, Agatha began writing
mystery novels and short stories. She was inspired by the poisons she studied as a nurse, the exotic places she visited, and the people she met along the way. Many of Agatha's books feature plot twists and popular fictional sleuths such as Hercule Poirot, Miss Jane Marple, and Tuppence
and Tommy Beresford. Agatha's published works became best-sellers, loved by fans and adapted for radio, theatre, and screen, sealing her
fate as the Queen of Mystery.
However, amidst her success, Agatha
experienced tragedies. Shortly after her mother died, Archie confessed to having an affair and asked for a divorce. Agatha was so
overwhelmed that she disappeared on December 3, 1926, prompting a nationwide
search party. Although she was found at a hotel 11 days later, Agatha never
revealed to her family and friends what happened during that time.
Nevertheless, she continued writing, doing her favourite hobbies, and followed a course of psychiatric
treatment. She and Archie divorced in 1928.
In
late 1928, Agatha met archaeologist-in-training Max Mallowan. They were married on
September 11, 1930.
When World War II broke out, Max got
a wartime job in Cairo. Agatha remained in England, resuming her career and
spending time with her family. Rosalind married Hubert Prichard and on September 21, 1943, gave birth
to a son named Mathew.
By 1945 and Max's return with the
end of the war, Agatha became less prolific and in her mid-50s enjoyed a slower
pace of life.
In 1971, Agatha was made a dame for
her contribution to literature.
After a successful career and a
happy life, Dame Agatha Christie died peacefully on January 12, 1976. She is
buried in the churchyard of St Mary's, Cholsey, near Wallingford.
Summary of the Text
Ten Little Soldier Boys went out to dine; ๐ช๐ช๐ช๐ช๐ช๐ช๐ช๐ช๐ช๐ช
One choked his little self and then there were Nine. ๐บ
On August 8, eight people travel to
Sticklehaven, Devon by train and by car. All of them have been invited by Ulick
Norman and Una Nancy Owen, or Mr and Mrs U.N. Owen, to come to Soldier Island.
Justice Lawrence Wargrave, a retired judge, is going to meet an old friend.
Vera Claythorne, a teacher, has been hired to be Mrs Owen's secretary. Captain
Philip Lombard, a soldier of fortune, has been hired for his skills by Mr Owen's
attorney Isaac Morris. Emily Brent, a conservative spinster, has been invited
by a woman she thinks she remembers from a previous holiday. General John
Macarthur will be meeting up with some old military friends. Dr Edward
Armstrong has been summoned to care for Mrs Owen. William Blore, a former
detective, has been sent by Mr Owen to protect Mrs Owen's jewels. Anthony
Marston recklessly drives his sports car towards the Devon coast, believing
that there will be a fabulous party with rich and famous people.
The guests then board the boat that will take
them to Soldier Island. The captain, Fred Narracott, thinks that they are a
strange group and not the young rich crowd he had been expecting. The guests
arrive at the island where Thomas and Ethel Rogers, the Owens' manservant
and housekeeper, welcome them to their hosts' house and escort them to
their rooms. They each discover in their room a framed copy of the Ten Little Soldier Boys rhyme. In addition to the rhyme,
Vera finds a bear-shaped clock in her own room. The guests all realise that none of them have actually met their hosts and that the Rogers had only been
hired recently.
At dinner, the guests acquaint themselves
with one another, even though the Owens are detained in London. In the middle
of the dining-room table are figurines depicting the Ten Little Soldier Boys. Later, in the
drawing-room, a loud voice accuses the guests and the servants of committing
murders and names their supposed victims.
When the voice ends, Mrs Rogers faints upon
hearing it say her name. Armstrong has Mr Rogers give a glass of brandy to
his wife. In an adjoining room, the guests find a gramophone with a record
titled "Swan Song" on it. When they play the record, they again hear the voice. Mr
Rogers had played the record, but he swears he had only done it on Mr Owen’s
orders. Meanwhile, Mrs Rogers is taken to her room where Armstrong gives
her a mild dose of trional. Each guest then explains how they were invited
to the island. Wargrave notes that their hosts' initials "U.N. Owen" are
a pun, a play on the word "unknown." The judge suggests that a madman may have
invited them to the island.
The guests then deny the accusations against them, but Marston and Lombard do not.
Rogers tells
the others that the boat will return in the morning with supplies for the
island. As he says this, Marston (accused by Owen of running over two children named John and Lucy Combes) takes a sip of his drink and chokes to death.
The other guests suspect that it must be suicide, although it is as impossible
for anyone to tamper his drink unnoticed. As the guests go to bed, Rogers
enters the dining-room and is puzzled to find that one of the Ten Little
Soldier statuettes is missing.
Nine Little Soldier Boys sat up very late; ๐ช๐ช๐ช๐ช๐ช๐ช๐ช๐ช๐ช
One overslept himself and then there were Eight. ๐๐ป
The guests are unable to sleep well due to
the accusations. In the morning, Armstrong is awakened by Rogers who tells him
that his wife will not wake up. Armstrong checks on Mrs Rogers to find that she (accused by Owen of being complicit in her husband's crime) has died in her sleep.
Eight Little Soldier Boys travelling in Devon; ๐ช๐ช๐ช๐ช๐ช๐ช๐ช๐ช
One said he'd stay there and then there were Seven.⛴️
After
breakfast, Armstrong informs the others of Mrs Rogers' passing. Macarthur feels
that they will never leave the island. He goes to the beach where he talks in a
trance-like state to his late wife, Leslie. Rogers, unaffected by his own wife's
death, resumes his duties and discovers that another soldier China figure is
missing.
Miss Brent
and Vera discuss the accusations of murder. Miss Brent is sure that the Rogers
are guilty of the crime against them. Lombard suggests to Armstrong that Owen has invited them to account
for crimes that they cannot be tried for. The two men enlist Blore for his help
and they search the island and the house for Owen, but they do not find him.
The guests
begin to accuse each other of conspiring in the deaths. Lombard reveals he
brought his revolver to defend himself. Blore insinuates that Armstrong gave
Mrs Rogers an overdose. At lunch, the guests notice that a storm is coming to
the island. Armstrong goes to call in Macarthur and finds that he (accused by Owen of having Leslie's lover, Arthur Richmond, killed in action) has died from
a blow to the head. As they bring the general's body into the house, the storm
breaks and the island is cut off from the mainland. When they return to their
meal, they notice that only seven soldier figurines remain.
Using reason and logic, Wargrave tells the
others that Owen is responsible for the deaths and that they are among
them. Except the dead, the judge proclaims, no one is exempted from suspicion. All the guests sit and discuss who they believe might be the
killer. Each has a different theory, mostly based on each guest's
characteristics.
During teatime, Rogers finds that a
bathroom curtain has gone missing, and Miss Brent loses a ball of wool. After
dinner, all the guests lock their doors, afraid of what might happen during the
night. Rogers locks the dining-room so that the murderer will not break off
another soldier.
Seven Little Soldier Boys chopping up sticks; ๐ช๐ช๐ช๐ช๐ช๐ช๐ช
One chopped himself in halves and then there were Six.
๐ช
In the morning, the guests wake up late because
Rogers has not woken them up. In the unlocked dining-room, they find that
another soldier figure has been broken off. They soon find Rogers (accused by Owen of depriving his previous employer, Jennifer Brady, of her medication to inherit her money) dead in the
woodshed. He had been given a fatal cut to the head while chopping wood.
Six Little Soldier Boys playing with a hive; ๐ช๐ช๐ช๐ช๐ช๐ช
A bumble bee stung one and then there were Five. ๐
After breakfast, everyone, except Miss Brent,
goes into the drawing-room to resume their investigation. Miss Brent becomes
sleepy and feels a pin prick in her neck. Soon, the others return to the
dining-room where they find Miss Brent (accused by Owen of driving her maid, Beatrice Taylor, to suicide for being pregnant out of wedlock) dead from a dose of cyanide
administered by a hypodermic needle. There is also a bee in the room. Armstrong
admits that he brought a needle with him as he always does. They find it along
with a smashed soldier figure. Wargrave locks away all the guests' medicine so
that no one has access to it. They learn that Lombard's revolver is missing and
search the house for it, but they do not find it.
Five Little Soldier Boys going in for law; ๐ช๐ช๐ช๐ช๐ช
One got in Chancery and then there were Four. ๐จ๐ป⚖️
The remaining guests become mad. Still, when
the power goes out, they agree to always stay together in one room with one
person leaving at a time. Vera claims the privilege to take a bath. When she
enters her room, she smells the sea, and feels something grab her neck. She screams,
and the men run up to her room. They found that it was some seaweed that had
grabbed Vera. The men think that they have prevented the next murder. When they
return to the drawing-room, however, they find Wargrave (accused by Owen of having an innocent man named Edward Seton executed) outfitted with the
missing bathroom curtain and Miss Brent's wool on his head. Armstrong removes
the wool and discovers a gunshot wound on the judge's forehead. When they
all go to bed that evening, Lombard is surprised to find his revolver returned
to the drawer in his bedside table. In her room, Vera notices for the first
time a big black hook hanging from the ceiling.
Four Little Soldier Boys going out to sea; ๐ช๐ช๐ช๐ช
A red herring swallowed one and then there were Three.
๐
Early the next morning, Blore awakens to hear
footsteps down the hall. He immediately goes to the other rooms, knowing that
the killer must be the person not in theirs. Vera and Lombard both answer their
doors, but Armstrong does not. Lombard and Blore search the island but
return to tell Vera that Armstrong has disappeared and that another soldier
figurine has been smashed.
Three Little Soldier Boys walking in the Zoo; ๐ช๐ช๐ช
A big bear hugged one and then there were Two. ๐ป
The storm passes, and the group attempts to
leave the island. They stand on a cliff, flashing S.O.S. signals when Blore
returns to the house to have lunch. Vera and Lombard hear a crash and go to the
house to find Blore (accused by Owen of having an innocent man named James Landor die in prison) dead on the ground. His head has been crushed by the bear
clock from Vera's room, fulfilling another verse of the rhyme.
Two Little Soldier Boys sitting in the sun; ๐ช๐ช
One got frizzled up and then there was One. ☀️
Vera and
Lombard now both believe that the killer must be Armstrong, only to find his body
when they return to the cliffs. The doctor (accused by Owen of killing his patient, Louisa Clees, by operating on her while drunk) had been drowned in the ocean. Vera
believes Lombard is the killer and takes his gun. As Lombard (accused by Owen of abandoning twenty-one African tribesmen to die) leaps for the
weapon, Vera shoots him in the heart, killing him.
One Little Soldier Boy left all alone; ๐ช
He went and hanged himself and then there were None.๐ชฆ๐ชฆ๐ชฆ๐ชฆ๐ชฆ๐ชฆ๐ชฆ๐ชฆ๐ชฆ๐ชฆ
Still
clasping the revolver, Vera returns to the house and knocks off two soldier
figures. She carries the last one upstairs and drops the revolver. In her
room, Vera finds a noose hanging from the hook and remembers her past and Owen's accusation against her.
Before becoming a teacher, Vera worked as a governess for the wealthy Hamilton family's son, Cyril, and was in a relationship with his Uncle Hugo. She let her charge
drown so that his uncle could inherit the family fortune and marry her. When
Hugo found out about it, he left Vera for he loved his nephew
dearly.
Vera drops the figurine, steps onto a chair, and hangs herself.
Epilogue
Sir Thomas Legge and Inspector Maine, two
Scotland Yard detectives, discuss the case of the Soldier Island murders.
They go over the facts, the order in which each victim was killed, and the cause of each victim's death. It seems Vera would be the murderer since
Armstrong's body had been laid out on the beach, Lombard had been shot, and her
fingerprints were on the revolver. However, the chair that Vera had stood on to
hang herself had been moved after her death, meaning that someone else was on
the island after all the murders had been committed. A distress signal was spotted on August 11, and a
rescue party was sent the following day. In addition, the
mainlanders were instructed to cut off all communication with the island for
one week after the victims arrived. The locals are also sure that no one could
have left the island because of the storm. Although the police deduce that U.N. Owen was both the killer and one of the victims, they are unable to identify which.
Years later, a fishing captain sends to
Scotland Yard a letter containing U.N. Owen's
confession and true identity.
The killer
explains that he had always believed that the innocent must live and the
guilty punished. He even mentions Edward Seton being truly guilty of
his crime. When the culprit got diagnosed with a terminal illness, he
decided to pattern a series of murders after the Ten Little Soldier Boys
poem. He would kill criminals who had gotten away unpunished. So, he collected his
victims based on information from those who knew them. He then recruited
Morris, a drug-smuggling lawyer, to help him buy Soldier Island, invite the
victims, and make the gramophone record. Morris was later poisoned for
driving a drug-abusing daughter of the vigilante's friends to suicide.
On August 8,
the murderer travelled with his victims to Soldier Island. He had
killed them by order of their guilt, following the nursery rhyme as best as
possible. He slipped potassium cyanide into Marston's glass during the
commotion over the gramophone. When Rogers brought up the glass of brandy for
his wife, the killer laced it with a lethal amount of chloral
hydrate, a sleeping medicine.
On August 9,
the killer gave Macarthur a quick and painless death.
On August 10,
the vigilante killed Rogers with an axe. While the victims were looking for the
manservant, the killer hid Lombard's gun. He put his last dose of chloral into
Miss Brent's coffee during breakfast, before injecting her with his last dose
of cyanide. He reveals that he had recruited Armstrong to help him pretend to
be dead, so he could "catch the unknown killer." This was done with
the bathroom curtain, Miss Brent's wool, and some red mud on the forehead;
Armstrong was the only person who examined him. The killer then secretly
returned the revolver to Lombard's room.
On August 11,
the killer met with Armstrong and pushed him over a cliff. The vigilante
returned to his room and played dead. He took delight in watching his remaining
victims become mad. He pushed from a window the clock that killed Blore and
watched Vera shoot Lombard. Hidden in a wardrobe, the killer watched Vera kill herself. To make the whole event a murder
mystery, the culprit shot himself through the forehead with Lombard's
revolver. He had written this message first, stuffed it in a bottle, and
thrown it out to sea.
The letter is
signed by Lawrence Wargrave.
Themes
Community
Even though they have all committed
crimes, the ten guests band together out of necessity, and because they
understand that they are not defined by their misdeeds (Shmoop Editorial Team,
2008).
Criminality
The guests may have been accused of
serious crimes, but they are not criminals technically; if anything, they see
themselves as poor decision-makers.
Even though he is a representative
of the law, Wargrave punishes his victims because they cannot be touched by the
criminal system. The book implies that while one can escape the justice system,
they cannot escape their fate (Shmoop Editorial Team, 2008).
Good vs. Evil
The main characters have done
terrible things, but they seem like sympathetic people who fear what is
happening to them.
One thing is that Wargrave is the
worst of them all; he thinks all his victims are guilty of murder. In the end,
Wargrave dies last because he recognises himself as the evillest of all the
characters (Shmoop Editorial Team, 2008).
Guilt
Wargrave says that being guilty,
though uncomfortable, is better than being good. Although he ends up killing
eight people and driving Vera to shoot Lombard and hang herself, Wargrave is
not remorseful, making him a psychopath (Shmoop Editorial Team, 2008).
Isolation๐️
Because of their isolation and
inability to contact the outside world, the characters create a hierarchy and
social order within their own ranks.
Wargrave deliberately picks an
isolated location so that his victims cannot escape from themselves; they must
sit and contemplate the deaths that they caused (Shmoop Editorial Team, 2008).
Justice and Judgement⚖️
Wargrave's vendetta is not the same
thing as justice. He kills the others because he finds them guilty of heinous
crimes. He then kills himself to be consistent with his need for absolute
justice (Shmoop Editorial Team, 2008).
Lies and Deceit
The majority of the characters do not admit
to any wrongdoings because they are lying to themselves. Some, like Vera and
Miss Brent, have even managed to convince themselves that they have not done
anything wrong (Shmoop Editorial Team, 2008).
Memory and the Past
The plot takes place in two
different times: one on the island when the characters are trying to stay
alive, and the other in their memories as they relive their crimes again and
again.
Vera dies by suicide to escape her
past.
Wargrave does not let the past stay
in the past. For him, a crime stays fresh until the person who committed it
gets their comeuppance (Shmoop Editorial Team, 2008).
Mortality☠️
For Christie, death-like guilt-is
part of the human condition and inevitable. No matter how clever or savvy a
person is, they are still going to die.
The ten main characters' deaths are
presented as a game whereas their victims' are presented as tragedies (Shmoop
Editorial Team, 2008).
Respect and Reputation
For many of the characters, losing
respect and their reputations would be even worse than losing their lives.
Rogers cares so much about his reputation that he carries on as the perfect
servant rather than mourning the loss of his wife (Shmoop Editorial Team,
2008).
Symbols
Seaweed
The seaweed represents a past that Vera can never escape except through death-or, at least, that is what Wargrave wants her to think (Shmoop Editorial Team, 2008).
Soldier Figurines๐ช๐ช๐ช๐ช๐ช๐ช๐ช๐ช๐ช๐ช
The contrast between the seriousness of the ten characters' deaths and the childishness of the soldier figurines informs the reader that the whole gambit is a game to Wargrave and gives them insight into just how much of a sociopath he is. While other people are concerned about their lives, Wargrave is just playing game master and, as such, he is also in charge of the clock.
As the figurines go missing one by one, the characters get nervous as the killer is counting down. One could even say that the figurines represent the whole dawning sense of doom that Wargrave is going for: not just killing off the guests but putting them through some psychological torture while he is at it (Shmoop Editorial Team, 2008).
Wargrave's Wound
The wound on Wargrave's forehead alludes to the Biblical story of Cain, the first murderer. In the Book of Genesis, Cain kills his brother, Abel, out of envy, and then God marks him so that everyone will know his sin. In a similar way, Wargrave marks himself as the Soldier Island Killer. Even though he knows that he has committed some crimes, he is still proud of himself. In a way, the mark that he gives himself signifies that he has done something grand (Shmoop Editorial Team, 2008).
The Writing of And Then There Were None
And Then There Were None is the book that made Agatha Christie the best-selling writer of all time, outsold only by the Bible and William Shakespeare's plays. The book has sold over 100 million copies and is read around the world in more than 50 languages.
Christie got inspiration from the 1869 nursery rhyme by Frank Green and during her holiday on an island on which she based the setting. She also states in her autobiography that And Then There Were None was the hardest novel for her to write, but she still found it fascinating. She rewrote the plot many times before she had it published.
The book was first published under the title Ten Little Niggers in 1939 in the United Kingdom. When it was republished in 1940 in the United States, it was retitled Ten Little Indians due to the term from the original British edition already being a racist slur. It worked for a while, but times change. Eventually, Christie's estate settled on And Then There Were None and the symbolic figurines in the text were changed into soldiers.
Over eighty years since its publication, And Then There Were None has been adapted and parodied many times for the stage and screen.
In 1943, Christie adapted her novel into a stage play. Because it was first performed during WWII, the character General Macarthur was renamed MacKenzie to avoid confusion with the real life General Douglas MacArthur. Christie and the producers also thought that the original ending would have been too bleak for the audience during the time. So, they changed it to a happier one where Lombard and Vera are innocent of their crimes, defeat the killer, and fall in love. Many film versions that followed feature the same happy ending.
In 2005, Christie's estate updated the play's script, allowing crews to choose to end a production happily or faithfully to the source material.
In 2015, Agatha Christie's fans celebrated her 125th birthday by voting And Then There Were None the World's Favourite Christie.
Then during the Christmas season, the BBC aired the first TV adaption of And Then There Were None.
The critically-acclaimed three-part miniseries follows the book more closely than the previous films, and stars Charles Dance (Game of Thrones) as Justice Wargrave, Maeve Dermody (Breathing Under Water) as Vera Claythorne, Aidan Turner (The Hobbit) as Philip Lombard, Miranda Richardson (Merlin) as Emily Brent, Sam Neill (Jurassic Park) as General Macarthur, Toby Stephens (Twelfth Night) as Dr Armstrong, Douglas Booth (Worried About the Boy) as Anthony Marston, Burn Gorman (Coronation Street) as William Blore, Noah Taylor (Almost Famous) as Thomas Rogers, and Anna Maxwell Martin (South Riding) as Ethel Rogers.
With its unique plot and twist ending, And Then There Were None is and will always be the mystery novel that made Dame Agatha Christie a best-selling author and a household name.
References
- 10 Things You Didn't Know About And Then There Were None. (n.d.). Agatha Christie. https://www.agathachristie.com/film-and-tv/and-then-there-were-none/10-things-you-didnt-know-about-and-then-there-were-none
- About Agatha Christie - The World's Best-Selling Novelist. (n.d.). Agatha Christie. https://www.agathachristie.com/about-christie
- Christie, A. (1939). And Then There Were None. Collins Crime Club.
- Christie, A. (2016, February 9). And Then There Were None - Lifetime Trailer [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HfFqHONPUa0
- Daly, L. H. et al. (Executive Producers). (2015). And Then There Were None [TV series]. Agatha Christie Productions; BBC.
- Davis, L. & Wang, B. (Eds). (2010, November 8). And Then There Were None Summary. GradeSaver. https://www.gradesaver.com/and-then-there-were-none/study-guide/summary
- Shmoop Editorial Team. (2008, November 11). And Then There Were None Symbolism, Imagery, Allegory. Shmoop. https://www.shmoop.com/and-then-there-were-none/symbolism-imagery.html
- Shmoop Editorial Team. (2008, November 11). And Then There Were None Themes. Shmoop. https://www.shmoop.com/and-then-there-were-none/themes.html
- Shmoop Editorial Team. (2008, November 11). And Then There Were None What's Up With the Title?. Shmoop. https://www.shmoop.com/and-then-there-were-none/title.html
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