"And Then There Were None" By Agatha Christie

If Only There Was One Left Over.

“Ten little soldier boys went out to dine; One choked his little self and then there were Nine.

Nine little soldier boys sat up very late; One overslept himself and then there were Eight.

Eight little soldier boys traveling in Devon; One said he’d stay there and then there were Seven.

Seven little soldier boy chopping up sticks; One chopped himself in halves and then there were       Six.

Six little soldier boys playing with a hive; A bumblebee stung one and then and then there were Five.

Five little soldier boys going in for law; One got into Chancery and then there were Four.

Four little soldier boys going out to sea; A red herring swallowed one and then there were Three.

Three little soldier boys walking in the Zoo; A big bear hugged one and then there were Two.

Two little soldier boys sitting in the sun; One got frizzled up and then was One.

One little soldier boy left all alone; He went and hanged himself

And then there were None.” - Frank Green, 1869

This poem above, is the main theme behind the book, “And Then There Were None” by Agatha Christie. Indeed, this poem is very dark and eventually leaves you wondering why the poem was even written in the first place, throughout the book you will develop a clear understanding for why this poem is used in this book. This book is full of confusion, as well as mystery and suspense, and that is the exact reason why I believe it is one of the best books I have ever read.

As mentioned above, the poem that comes along with the book is one of the major reasons that I believe this is a good story. This is because as you develop throughout the book, you will come to realize that the poem tells you what will happen in the book, but at the same time, you do not know what will happen. The first evidence of seeing how the poem comes into play in the story is one page 89 and it states, “As she passed the mantelpiece, she looked up at the framed doggerel. ‘Ten little soldier boys went out to dine; One choked his little self and then there were Nine.’ She thought to herself: It’s horrible- just like us this evening….”  By Agatha Christie putting this thought of Vera Claythorne, one of the main characters, she starts to put the idea into the character’s head as well as our own that, well maybe this poem actually does have something to do with this book. The poem provides enough information for the reader to clearly know what is going on, yet it leaves you with this unsettled, unbalanced feeling. The poem clearly tells you how a person may die in a very interestingly form of terror.  Although it is not on one page with a specific quote, the power of the poem can be felt through the characters emotions. They are truly terrified and at some points, I myself as a reader was as well. Specifically with  a character such as Vera Claythorne, the poem and the idea of people dying gets to her head completely.

Another key factor within this story is the fact that this poem and the idea of people dying, turns the characters in the story against each other. This is another part of the book that makes the story and plot so interesting. It provides a certain type of aggravation that makes you want to just keep reading and reading until you finish the book. It also shows how the characters react to this situation and who will really end up lasting the longest. On page 103, Philip Lombard as well as William Blore question General Wargrave on whether the motorboat will really come to take them off the island or not and he simply replies, “Of course it won’t come. We’re counting on the motorboat to take us off the island. That’s the meaning of the the whole business. We’re not going to leave the island… None of us will ever leave… It’s the end, you see-the end of everything….” I believe that this is one of the most powerful quotes in the entire story due to the fact that this tests the reader to think about whether or not this is really true, which in the end of the book we come to find out that General Wargrave was indeed correct on his idea of no one leaving the island. With this idea in mind, the reader begins to see the fate of each character and how they eventually end up not trusting each other at all. At the very end of the book, there are two characters left alive, Vera Claythorne and Philip Lombard. There comes to a time in the chapter where Vera Claythorne has gone completely insane and has grabbed the gun of Philip Lombard. She promptly kills Lombard as he reaches for his gun that she has taken. Once he is dead, the author explains the emotions of Claythorne after this moment occurs, “...She was alone on the island… Alone with nine dead bodies… But what did that matter? She was alive… She sat there-exquisitely happy-exquisitely at peace… No more fear…” Although this quote is very simple and short, I believe it shows what the island did to a person. It drove a person insane and eventually forced them to commit suicide.

This story, “And Then There Were None” by Agatha Christie is a story about how mystery and fear can bring someone to a point where they aren’t a human being anymore with a human mentality. It can take your concept that you think that you have of humanity, crumple it up, throw it away, and make a horror show of the whole thing.  It is suspenseful, simple yet complicated, terrifying, and one of the creepiest books I have ever read. That is why I believe it is also a very good story and one of the best stories I have read yet.