And Then There Were None
Chapters 12 and 13
(Pages 197-224)
“Another one acquitted too late!”
• After the group discovers Miss Brent’s body,
even Lombard seems to be on edge. What
weapon does Mr. Justice Wargrave think they
still have to fight their unknown host?
– He says they have their reasoning powers!
Security
• What two steps does Wargrave want to take
to ensure the safety of the five remaining
guests?
– Collect all the weapons, including the drugs, and
lock them away in a safe place.
– Each person submit to a search of his/her person
and personal effects.
Added security
• Where does the group hide the drugs?
• What precautions does Wargrave make to
keep the keys safe?
Next victim?
Five little soldier boys going in for law;
One got into Chancery and then there were
four.
– Chancery= the high court of England.
What plan do the 5 agree on to ensure
their safety?
• They are all sitting in the drawing room. Only
one person at a time can leave the room.
The next verse of the rhyme“Four little soldier boys going out to sea;
A red herring swallowed one and then there
were three.”
– In what sense can the words “red herring” have a
double meaning?
And Then There Were None
Chapters 14 and 15
Willing Suspension of Disbelief
• The deliberate putting aside of the audience’s
or reader’s critical beliefs in order to accept
the unreal world the author creates.
Physical evidence
• What evidence is there that Dr. Armstrong is
probably dead? By what method will the next
victim most likely be killed?
– There are only three Soldier figures left.
Why does Vera suspect that Dr.
Armstrong is not dead?
• Killed by a red herring…she thinks his
disappearance is a red herring to throw them
off the track of the real killer.
Support the Theme- “As people fight for their survival,
civilized rules of behavior begin to erode.”
• TOPIC SENTENCE:
• Vera and Lombard, out on the cliffs, have
given up trying to live like civilized humans.
– SUPPORT SENTENCES:
– They are both going to forego their meals.
– Vera wants to sleep out on the cliffs.
• CLINCHER SENTENCE:
• Civilized humans eat regular meals and sleep indoors,
where as animals do without food when they need to,
and they usually sleep outdoors.
And Then There Were NONE
Chapter 16 and Epilogue
How does Vera trick Lombard?
• Vera picks Lombard’s pocket when they are
pulling Dr. Armstrong’s body away from the
water. She uses his gun to shoot him through
the heart.
• Why does their developing relationship break
down at the end of the story?
Who is Isaac Morris?
• Morris is the one who arranged for Owens to
purchase the Island. He is a criminal who
understands how to cover up a business deal.
He told the people in the City of Stricklehaven
that there was an experiment on the Island to
see who could live there for a week. He told
them that they should ignore any strange
signals coming from the Island.
Drawing Conclusions
• What conclusions does the Assistant
Commissioner of Scotland Yard make about
the cases mentioned on the gramophone?
– The A.C. comments that all of the cases are those
that the law cannot touch.
• Why does he think they might have all been
invited to the island?
– They are invited to the Island so they can be
executed.
Elements of Mystery Stories
• The story is like a puzzle with clues so the clever
reader can unravel the mystery.
• A detective investigates the crime and theorizes
about possible motives and suspects.
• The story builds suspense by casting suspicion on
various characters and through unexpected twists
in the plot.
• (One more element-we will discuss after you read
“A manuscript document sent to Scotland Yard
by the master of the Emma Jane fishing
trawler.”pp. 285-300)
Mystery Guidelines:
– The story is like a puzzle with clues so the clever reader can unravel
the mystery.
– A detective investigates the crime and theorizes about possible
motives and suspects.
– The story builds suspense by casting suspicion on various characters
and through unexpected twists in the plot.
– The final solution to the puzzle must be believable and one that is
deduced from clues in the story.
• Does this novel measure up as a mystery?
• Does it contain all of the required elements?
And Then There Were NONE
A manuscript document sent to
Scotland Yard by the master of the
Emma Jane fishing trawler
WARGRAVE
• Why does Wargrave put his confession
in a bottle? (page 285)
– He describes himself as having a “incurable
romantic imagination.”
• The idea of throwing a bottle in the sea with an
important document contained in it is thrilling for
Wargrave.
Why does Wargrave
commit the murders?
• Wargrave has secretly always wanted to commit a
murder, but he was held back by his sense of
justice.
• He did not want to see an innocent person suffer
and die.
• He succumbs to his desire to commit murder
when a doctor tells him he is dying.
• Wargrave decides to kill people who are
themselves unpunished murderers.
• This way he satisfies his desire to kill and fulfills
his need to be sure justice is served.
Fairly judged?
• How does Wargrave satisfy himself that all
nine people on the Island are guilty?
– Wargrave watches their faces when they listen to
the accusations on the gramophone. He believes
his many years as a judge makes him able to
determine their guilt or innocence just by looking
at them.
Alliance formed
• Why does Armstrong help Wargrave pretend
to be murdered?
– Wargrave convinces Armstrong that if he were
thought to be dead, he would be able to move
around the house freely and perhaps discover the
identity of the murderer.
Pretty sneaky!
• Where does Wargrave hide the
revolver during the search of the
house?
–He hides it in a tin buried at the
bottom of a pile of unopened tins.
Three Clues
• What are the three clues that, according to
Wargrave, will help the police solve the
mystery of the Island if they are clever
enough?
– CLUE ONE:
– The police know that Seton was guilty. Therefore,
Wargrave is the only one invited to the island who
is not an unpunished murderer.
CLUE #2
• The nursery rhyme says that Armstrong is
killed by a red herring.
– The police should be able to figure out that, at this
point in the mystery, Armstrong is deceived before
he is killed.
Clue #3
• The mark of Cain in the Bible is a mark placed
on Cain by God so that everyone knows not to
kill him.
– Wargrave’s fake death is from a shot to his
forehead, which he interprets as a mark of Cain.
What is the literary term for the reference to the
bible that Agatha Christie uses here?
Suicide
• How does Wargrave manage to kill himself?
– There is elastic cord attached to Wargrave’s
eyeglasses. He is going to lay on his glasses, loop
the cord around the door-handle, and then attach
it to the revolver. He uses a handkerchief to hold
the revolver when he shoots himself. When his
hand drops the revolver, it recoils to the door and
detaches itself from the elastic.
Wargrave’s Assumptions
• In his suicide, Wargrave assumes that . . .
1. The handkerchief will be overlooked.
2. He won’t continue holding onto the revolver.
3. The revolver will detach from the elastic so that
it falls on the floor.