And then there were none
Published on Nov 19, 2015
A short presentation on the novel, And Then There Were None, by Agatha Christie.
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PRESENTATION OUTLINE
First there were ten. Ten guests each summoned, by the peculiar Mr. and Mrs. U.N. Owen, on a different pretext to the mysterious Soldier Island. But upon their arrival the company discovers their mystifying host absent. The requested guests each have a vile past they all think is secret, but their host unknown knows more than they think. Left to fend for themselves they find that they have all come there to die, with the killer lose among them- and before long the visitors succumb to the clutches of the unseen murderer. And then there were none.
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The story is set in 1939 on Soldier Island, a mysterious vacationing spot off the Coast of Devon, England, at the mansion owned by the peculiar
Mr. and Mrs.
U.N. Owen
Photo by marcusjroberts
IMPORTANT CHARACTERS:
Mr. Justice Wargrave
Miss Vera Claythorne
Captain Philip Lombard
Miss Emily Brent
General Macarthur
Dr. Armstrong
Tony Marston
Mr.William Henry Blore
Mr. and Mrs. Rogers
MR. JUSTICE WARGRAVE- A retired judge accused of the murder of Edward Seton, a man who was convicted of murder but was believed to be innocent.
MISS VERA CLAYTHORNE- A teacher and governess, but currently working as a secretary. She was accused of the murder of Cyril Hamilton, who she let swim out alone in the ocean knowing he couldn't handle the waves.
CAPTAIN PHILIP LOMBARD- A soldier who was accused of the murders of an East African tribe after stealing their food and leaving them to starve to death.
Photo by Miikka Skaffari
MISS EMILY BRENT- An elderly spinster accused of murdering her former maid after she fired her for being pregnant out of wedlock.
GENERAL JOHN MACARTHUR- A retired WW1 hero who sent his wife's lover to his death by assigning him to a mission impossible.
DR.ARMSTRONG- A Harley Street doctor who killed Louisa Mary Clees when he operated on her while drunk.
Photo by Leo Reynolds
TONY MARSTON- A wild young man who killed two children while recklessly driving.
MR. WILLIAM HENRY BLORE- A retired police inspector, now a private investigator, who falsified information in court leading to the death of an innocent man, James Landors.
MR. AND MRS. ROGERS- A butler and housekeeper pair that conspired to withhold their former employers medication, causing her to die prematurely of heart failure, so they could cash in on their inheritance early.
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MY FAVORITE CHARACTER:
Actually, I can’t really tell you about my favorite character because they are the murderer! I love this character because of their cleverness and interest in bringing justice to a very unjust world. I find their methods of ‘justice’ and their logic very interesting. Also, I think they are my favorite because they defied normal. After living the normal, good life for so long they decided to go against the grain of society standards by executing the scandalous-- and even though they are a fictional character, they will be forever remembered for what they have done.
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WHY I LIKED THE BOOK:
I love the mystery and suspense. Agatha Christie is so very amazing at keeping you on the edge of your seat until the very last second- and each book ends with such a shock and twist. Out of all the Agatha Christie’s I have read this definitely has to be my favorite because of the incredible cleverness throughout the entire novel and the complete surprise ending.
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LESSONS LEARNED:
I learned that there is a very fine line between true justice and fairness. Violence is no way to teach someone about what they deserve- like its really up to us anyway. Sometimes mercy and grace should be given even when we dont understand why they receive blessings instead of trouble.
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BOOK COMPARISON:
And Then there Were None is actually somewhat like The Count of Monte Cristo because both books discuss justice and revenge. The ten guests on Soldier Island have all been accused of murder- but none could be justly accused in a court of law. One of the shady characters in the bunch of mysterious guests takes it upon themselves to bring ‘justice’ to those who had escaped what they really deserved. This brings about some questions asked throughout both The Count of Monte Cristo and And Then There Were None. Was it really the killer's place to decide? And if so, how are the killer's actions justified? And, how do their actions justify the wrongs the others have done? But with both terrific novels, you will have to decide for yourself!
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LITERARY ELEMENTS:
THEMES: Justice- The typical way justice is displayed in murder mysteries is through violation, the act of murder, and restoration, the act of solving the case, but in ATTWN Agatha Christie changes it up a little. Instead we see the justice theme manifested in murder. Because all the guests are murderers, the unknown killer in the book uses more murder to justify what the others have done.
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LITERARY ELEMENTS:
MOTIFS: The Soldier Poem- Throughout the book this creepy little poem, hung in every guest bedroom in the house, is used to foretell what will happen to the guests.
Soldier figures- We also see the use of these delicate china figures weaved into the novel. Every time a guest is killed a china figure is removed from the dining room table.
SYMBOLS: The Storm- After the first victim is killed a storm sets in over the island and remains until the end of the novel. The storm symbolizes the violent acts that are taking place. The storm also prevents any of the visitors from leaving, symbolizing that there is no escape from the evil on the island.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Dame Agatha Christie is the author of over 70 literary works consisting of novels, short-stories, plays and romances. She is credited as the world's best selling author, with nearly 4 billion copies in print, just under William Shakespeare and the Bible.
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AUTHOR'S PERSONAL INFLUENCE:
Agatha Christie was born in Devon, England (where the story takes place). She also had experience during World War 1 when she worked in a hospital. Later on in World War 2 she served again, but this time as pharmacist. Both of these opportunities provided the chance to learn about medicines and poisons (which she uses quite frequently in the novel) and to experience traumatizing events that could have influenced her writings.
READER WARNINGS:
LANGUAGE: There is mild language throughout the novel, although all language is very expressive of the time period.
VIOLENCE: Overall you could say the novel is very violent- I mean 10 people are dead by the end- but really there are no gory scenes or disgusting images.
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