By Agatha Christie

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