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And Then There Were None: A Lesson in Mystery

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By Will Traband

Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None is a true mystery. Many of Christie’s earlier works are considered mysteries, but many are not. They are more akin to jigsaw puzzles, where the player knows what the end product is supposed to be. A real mystery has no obvious path forward. And Then There Were None creates a real mystery by directly attacking this formula. It sets up characters like any of Christie’s works but pulls the rug out from under the reader. Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None is a successful mystery story because it subverts the reader’s expectations in a way that forces them to consider all outcomes. 

Many of Agatha Christie’s texts work around a set of tropes. For example, in the Poirot books, there is a formula. Poirot arrives in some new setting, and a murder occurs. Poirot decides to investigate, but almost everyone is suspicious in one way or another. After a while, and with a few twists and turns, there is always a section where Hercule Poirot gathers all the suspects in a room and gives a long speech about all the clues as to who the murderer is. He ends with his announcement of the murderer’s identity, and they get taken away. These tropes are not limited to story beats, however. There was often a mysterious wealthy person who needed care for an illness and a kind caretaker who helped them. Formulas like these were ubiquitous in mystery texts but posed a problem. When a mystery becomes formulaic, it ceases to be a mystery. The clues are often the same and in the same places. There is no mystery how the story will unfold when it has occurred a thousand times before.

Christie understands the tropes that she created and uses them to her advantage. One brilliant example is Dr. Armstrong. A mysterious, wealthy person who needs care due to an illness is a recurring character in Christie’s work. Dr. Armstrong is the kind caretaker, as mentioned earlier. This setup feels familiar to long-time readers of her novels and gets them off their guard. The general setting of the book is also recognizable. A large number of suspects gathered in one place, and a murder happens. Now, the detective has to find the guilty party despite everyone involved being suspicious in one way or another. And Then There Were None first shakes up the formula with the shifting perspectives of the first chapter. No detective will solve the case, as everyone is that detective at one time or another. With the death of Mrs. Rogers, it becomes even more clear that this book is unique. Two murders, while not unheard of, are rare in Christie’s works. When General MacArthur dies, it only gets worse. Three deaths are even less common, and suddenly, there is a sense of panic.

The paranoia instilled in both the characters and the reader is palpable. It is unclear who will die next; the only clue is that it will follow the Ten Little Indians poem. It is so different from most of Christie’s works that while there is a mystery, there is also an element of horror. There is supposed to be a hero in this kind of text. There is supposed to be some detective who will save the day. As the death count mounts, the most significant subversion in this text becomes clear: there is no hero on Indian Island. There are only villains, all of whom will die. 

It is brilliant that nobody ever finds the murderer. Vera believed it to be Lombard but was wrong. The trope of someone explaining how the murders occurred still happens but in the form of a message in a bottle. Wargrave was the murderer, and he constructed the deaths of every character. Fundamentally, the lack of a hero in this text means everyone is an investigator. However, in a complete twist on most of Christie’s work, nobody succeeds. Even the police only figure out what happened from the message in a bottle. There is no satisfaction from the detective solving the case. There are only ten bodies on an island. 

Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None uses a subversion of traditional mystery tropes to create a true mystery. It is unclear who will die, and with every death, the number of suspects seems to go down. Christie sets up a traditional murder mystery but uses a shifting perspective to show that And Then There Were None is not a typical mystery story. Once the murders start occurring, it becomes increasingly urgent to find the culprit, which encourages both the reader and the characters to rush. Ultimately, And Then There Were None is not just a murder mystery. It is successful because there is a grand scheme rather than a simple crime. And Then There Were None is a great mystery because it breaks the tropes the reader has been trained to expect.

Exploring Justice in “And Then There Were None” through Wargrave’s Perspective: A Comparative Analysis Between Novel vs. Film

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Exploring Agatha Christie’s novel And Then There Were None has been an eye-opening experience for me as I was only aware of the mini-TV series on Amazon Prime. It was so satisfying to me that the title resonated well with the novel’s plot. Although I wasn’t able to figure out the right person at the end, it is possible for other readers to reasonably deduct the true mastermind as the book involves some concept of “fair play” as Christie presents a series of clues, both subtle and overt, and also is transparent with the information given to the readers.

After reading its content, I also decided to watch portions of each of the adapted mini-episodes, and it was interesting to see several differences, visually and narratively. For instance, in Lifetime’s miniseries, each of the ten characters’ crimes are portrayed differently, with much more explicit violence and brutality. For example, the general directly kills Richmond by shooting him in the back and Philip Lombard killing the East African men for personal greed instead of abandoning them with no resources. Unlike Christie’s characters, who somewhat maintain a sense of detachment from knowing that they could truly be a murderer, I felt as though these characters are depicted as more aware of their guilt, with the crimes being showcased more brutally.

As I reflected on the visual and narrative disparities between the two separate mediums, one theme that really stood out to me in the novel rather than in the series was the portrayal of justice through the progression of the murder plot. 

As the narrative unfolds, a group of eight strangers are lured to the remote ‘Indian Island’ under various pretexts. Upon arrival, they are accused of past crimes that have gone unpunished. This theme of justice and guilt, a central element in both the novel and the miniseries, fuels the tension and paranoia among the characters as they confront their dark pasts. Each murder, executed in accordance with the nursery rhyme ‘Ten Little Soldiers,’ serves as a stark reminder of the repercussions of their actions. In the end, all the characters meet their fate, victims of a meticulously crafted plot orchestrated by (spoilers) Judge Wargrave, a chilling embodiment of justice, albeit in a twisted and merciless form. 

Wargrave’s character in the novel raises questions about whether he serves as a protagonist pursuing “justice” or the main antagonist due to his skillful murders, even of himself. He is deeply committed to avenging those he believes have evaded punishment, even if it means carrying out the killings personally. His manuscript found in a bottle reflects this inner conflict, where he acknowledges his desire for murder but is restrained by his sense of justice as he writes, “Yes, I wanted to kill. But-incongruous as it may seem to some– I was restrained and hampered by my innate sense of justice. The innocence must not suffer” (Christie 351-352). Thus, the novel effectively explores Wargrave’s internal struggle, providing insight into his reasoning for the killings as he wanted to give back karma to those who were “unreachable” by the civic law.

Additionally, the novel presents each character’s supposed guilt. Here are some examples:

  • Vera Claythorn’s indirect responsibility for a child’s drowning
  • Philip Lombard’s involvement in the deaths of East-African tribesmen by not providing resources (food & water)
  • Edward Armstrong’s fatal mistake while operating under the influence of alcohol
  • Emily Brent’s role in her servant’s suicide
  • William Blore’s false testimonies leading to wrongful conviction

Considering the characters’ actions and guilt, it’s intriguing to question why Wargrave targets certain individuals in a specific order. For instance, Blore’s involvement in the death of an innocent man may be seen as indirect, as he sent him to prison, where he died. Lombard’s actions, while callous, may not have directly caused harm. Similarly, Brent’s decision to cast out her servant may not have directly led to her suicide. Nonetheless, Christie does an amazing job explaining the devious sequence of murders in the novel in specific detail as she writes through Wargrave’s perspective, “There were, I considered, amongst my guests, varying degrees of guilt. Those whose guilt was the lightest should, I decided, pass out first, and not suffer the prolonged mental strain and fear that the more cold-blooded offenders were to suffer” (Christie 354). We can see how Wargrave even kills himself around the middle of the death sequence, implying that his actions of performing this whole killing spree incorporate a mix of justice and guilt, which I think is a really fascinating detail. The novel ends with nobody knowing about Wargrave’s true identity as the mastermind behind this scene. 

The mini-series takes a different approach to the sequence of killings, which I found confusing. It’s unclear why the directors chose to have Wargrave reveal himself to Vera at the end and then commit suicide. This choice diminishes the power of the ultimate mastermind, Wargrave, as it’s questionable why he would reveal himself to someone he knows will die rather than showcase the manuscript in a more cinematic way. Does this decision provoke a sense of justice and order, aligning with Wargrave’s intentions in the novel? Additionally, it’s strange that Wargrave is the last person to survive and then commits suicide after his plan succeeds. This scene doesn’t clearly justify why he is the last person alive. Did the directors intentionally keep him last because he sees himself as the most “cold-blooded,” as Christie suggested? If so, this reasoning is dubious since he attempts to serve “justice” against all the other individuals who couldn’t make it to trial. Thus, I believe that Christie’s novel does a much better job of capturing a smoother and thought-out narrative when explaining the murder plot to the audience. 

Overall, Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None elevates the mystery genre by transcending its conventions. The novel expertly intertwines the suspense of a locked-room mystery with the psychological depth of a thriller, delving into how the concept of justice really works in a nuanced manner that captivates and unnerves the reader. Rather than checking out the film, I highly recommend reading the novel first, as it has a much better chronicle to follow!

Author: Daniel Myung
Sources used: “And Then There Were None.pdf – Perpustakaan UNP”