By Agatha Christie. Setting Soldier Island off the coast of England 8 travelers going to Soldier Island for different reasons Some are formally.
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Setting
Soldier Island off the coast of England
8 travelers going to Soldier Island for different reasons Some are formally invited, some are
not All have mysterious pasts
Burgh Island is chandeliered by a posh Art-Deco hotel-mansion. It is
located off the west coast of Devon near Plymouth in southern England.
As she describes in And Then There Were None, “The house itself was
really most attractive, the view from the terrace magnificent.” Agatha
Christie herself frequented this hotel.
1. Justice Wargrave- a retired judge - known as a "hanging judge” received a letter from Constance Culmington to come to
Soldier Island
2. Vera Claythorne- a secretary, Woman’s skilled agency referred her received a letter from Una Nancy Own to come to the island
regarding a job
3. Captain Philip Lombard- Mr. Isaac Morris will pay him $100 guineas to go to Soldier
Island he’s a good man in a tight spot
4. Emily Brent- 65 years old a rigid, repressed elderly spinster holding harsh moralistic
principles received a letter from U.N.O to start a guest house for
“proper” guests
5. General Macarthur- “Owen” wants him to get together with his two old cronies
6. Dr. Armstrong- received a letter asking him to treat Owen’s wife
7. Tony Marston- very good looking drinker summoned for a good time
8. Mr. Blore- undercover- “Mr. Davis” is actually going to spy on the others claims to have arrived from South Africa, as he was
instructed to do by Isaac Morris hired for "security" work
At the House…
The guests are greeted by Mr. Thomas and Ethel Rogers- the butler and housekeeper
They are told that Mr. Owen will come tomorrow and are showed to their rooms
There are 10 soldier china figures
In each room , there is a children’s poem…
“Ten little Indians boys went out to dine;
One choked his little self and then there were nine.
Nine little Indian boys sat up very late;
One overslept himself and then there were eight.
Eight little Indian boys travelling in Devon;
One said he’d stay there and then there were seven.
Seven little Indians boys chopping up sticks;
One chopped himself in halves and then there were six.
Six little Indian boys playing with a hive;
A bumblebee stung one and then there were five.
Five little Indian boys going in for law;
One got in Chancery and then there were four.
Four little Indian boys going out to sea;
A red herring swallowed one and then there were three.
Three little Indian boys walking in the Zoo;
A big bear hugged one and then there were two.
Two little Indian boys sitting in the sun
One got frizzled up and then there was one.
One little Indian boy left all alone;
He went and hanged himself and there were none.”
Page 33-34
After Dinner, the Truth is Revealed A “ voice” asked for silence and
announced that all 9 were in some way guilty of murder
The voice came from a gramophone
Justice Laurence Wargrave
Accused of murder During the trial of Edward Seton- he
sentenced him to death At the time, Edward Seton had been
widely believed to be innocent of the murder of which he was accused
Vera Claythorne
Her last job as a governess ended in the death of Cyril Hamilton
She intentionally allowed him to swim out to sea and drown so that her lover, Hugo Hamilton (Cyril's uncle), could become the family heir/ marry her-the original plan before Cyril's birth
She swam out to sea to "save" Cyril- made it seem he had disobeyed her- knowing she would not arrive in time
Hugo; however, who loved his nephew, abandoned her after he somehow realized what she had done
Captain Philip Lombard
Lombard is accused of causing the deaths of East African tribesmen after he stole their food, leaving them to starve
Emily Brent
In years earlier, she dismissed her young maid, Beatrice Taylor, for becoming pregnant out of wedlock
Beatrice, who had already been rejected by her parents for the same reason, drowned herself in a river-an even worse sin
General John Macarthur
Sent his late wife's lover (a younger officer, Arthur Richmond) to his death by assigning him to a mission where it was practically guaranteed he would not survive
Leslie Macarthur had mistakenly put the wrong letters in the envelopes on one occasion when she wrote to both men at the same time
Dr. Edward Armstrong
Responsible for the death of a patient, Louisa Mary Clees, after he operated on her while drunk
Anthony Marston
Killed two young children (John and Lucy Combes) while driving recklessly
He, along with Lombard, are the only guests to openly and immediately confirm that the accusations against them are true; neither feels remorse
Mr. William Blore
Accused of falsifying his testimony for a bribe from a criminal gang in court
Resulted in an innocent man, James Landor, being convicted and sentenced to life
Landor died in prison
Blore is confronted about his true name on the gramophone recording and he acknowledges his true identity
Mr. Thomas & Ethel Rogers
They are assumed to have withheld Miss Jennifer Brady’s medicine to collect an inheritance they knew she had left them in her will
Jennifer was the Rogers’ former employer- an elderly spinster
Jennifer died from heart failure
Ten little Indians boys went out to dine;One choked his little self and then there were nine.
Tony Marston was intrigued by the “detective story” -only guest that wants to stay
He is the first victim He’s poisoned with potassium cyanide
slipped into his drink while the guests were discussing the gramophone recording
Rogers notices a missing china figure soldier while everyone prepares for bed
Nine little Indian boys sat up very late;One overslept himself and then there were eight.
Rogers awakens Dr. Armstrong Mrs. Rogers died in her sleep from an
overdose of chloral hydrate She is the 2nd victim
Rogers now noticed only 8 china soldier figures
Eight little Indian boys travelling in Devon;One said he’d stay there and then there were seven.
Everyone began making assumptions and discussing the deaths
Lombard carries a revolver General Macarthur tells Vera they won’t get off
the island and their “end” will be a relief from guilt
Armstrong, Blore, and Lombard search in and around the house
General Macarthur was found bludgeoned while sitting along the shore
Only 7 china soldier figures remain
Seven little Indians boys chopping up sticks;One chopped himself in halves and then there were
six.
No one has an alibi- they all suspect each other
They go to bed, expecting to be woken by Rogers- he is nowhere to be found
Vera discovers only 6 figures remain Thomas Rogers was struck in the head with
an axe as he cut firewood in the woodshed Vera recaps the poem Everyone enters the kitchen for breakfast,
but Emily Brent
Six little Indian boys playing with a hive;A bumblebee stung one and then there were five
Having been sedated with chloral hydrate in her coffee, she was left alone and injected in the neck with potassium cyanide with one of Dr Armstrong's hypodermic syringes (the "bee sting")
Right before her own murder, she has a lurid daydream (chloral hydrate) about Beatrice - imagines hearing the girl's footsteps (actually the murderer)
They place all drugs in a locked chest in the cupboard
Lombard’s revolver is missing The syringe is found outside the window with the
6th figurine
Five little Indian boys going in for law;One got in Chancery and then there were four.
During the evening/night, Wargrave went missing
He’s found sitting in a chair with Brent’s wool, the silken curtain, a judge’s wig, and shot in the forehead
They go to bed Lombard’s revolver was returned to his
drawer
During the Night…
Blore heard someone pass his room He checked the rooms and discovered
Armstrong was missing Blore and Lombard go to find him They tell Vera not to unlock her door
until they return When they return, they tell Vera that
Armstrong disappeared, a pane in the dining room is smashed, and only 3 soldiers are left
Four little Indian boys going out to sea;A red herring swallowed one and then there were three
Three little Indian boys walking in the Zoo;A big bear hugged one and then there were two
Blore leaves to eat and Lombard and Vera are outside talking
They feel the ground quake and run to the house Blore’s skull was crushed by a bear-shaped clock
dropped from Vera's bedroom window onto the terrace
Vera and Lombard believe that Armstrong is the killer
But, they then find Armstrong in the water wedged between 2 rocks
Vera wants to move the body---(Armstrong died before Blore -to fit the rhyme)
Two little Indian boys sitting in the sunOne got frizzled up and then there was one.
Vera and Lombard struggle She stole the revolver and shot Lombard Vera, at peace because she killed
Lombard in self-defense, goes inside She throws 2 of the remaining 3 china
figures, then takes the remaining 1- the winner---HER
She goes to her room
One little Indian boy left all alone;He went and hanged himself and there were none
In Vera’s room, there was a rope and noose, and a chair
Imagining Cyril and Hugo, she hanged herself
Trying to Tie up the Loose Ends… Sticklehaven people don’t know anything about Soldier
Island, except Owen owns it
Sticklehaven people were told to ignore distress signals -part of a game being played by the wealthy owners
Isaac Morris, who made arrangements with some of the guests, is dead- overdosed on sleeping medication
If all the guests in the house were dead, Vera being the last…
WHO PUT BACK HER CHAIR AFTER SHE HANGED HERSELF?
The Truth…
Justice Lawrence Wargrave is the murderer!! he wrote a letter including his confession he described (in detail) how he killed each
person how he tricked Dr. Armstrong he put the letter in a bottle and threw it out to
sea
He created a mystery that could not be solved without his confession
Points of Reference…
Armstrong’s Role Armstrong foolishly trusts Wargrave While with the judge on a rocky cliff, he is
pushed into the sea and drowns His body goes missing for awhile, leading
the others to believe he is the killer- the red herring
Red Herring- a literary device that leads readers or characters towards a false conclusion, often used in mystery or detective fiction
Vera’s Chair After Vera hangs herself, Wargrave shoots
himself using a complicated wire contraption that averts suspicion
His body would fall onto the bed as if it had been laid there
Mr. Owen-U. N. Owen, a pun on “Unknown” Mr. Owen is Justice Wargrave He’s a man with a strong sense of justice
combined with a sadistic delight in murdering Wargrave’s death by a bullet through the
forehead will leave a red mark like the brand of Cain the first murderer in the biblical book of Genesis
Wargrave’s Motif-
The guilty receive what they deserve, and no one gets away with murder
Issac Morris’ Role Hired by "Mr Owen" (Wargrave) to purchase the
island on his behalf Tells the townspeople to ignore distress signals for
a week Arranges for Lombard to come to the island armed
- meet Owen for a later payment of 100 guineas He’s a narcotics dealer He’s caused the addiction/ suicide of a young
woman- daughter of friends of Wargrave Detectives discuss the death of Morris
overdose of medication- supported by Wargrave's confession
Morris trusted "Mr Owen" sufficiently to accept pills Morris is actually the first victim chronologically,
dying before Marston
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