They ones who feel guilty are the ones who are the most frightened of dying, but also some of the most resigned. General MacArthur is resigned to his death as punishment for his crime, while Vera becomes increasingly hysterical and fearful of dying. Each of the accused have different personalities, and Christie uses them to illustrate the many different forms of guilt that people can harbor. Each person had a hand in a person's dying. Some have been able to rationalize away their part in the death, while others have not been able to get over their own feelings of guilt and remorse. However, the most important aspect of this is that none of them took full responsibility for their actions, and volunteered themselves to pay for their crime. Thus, the judge takes it into his own hands to punish them, knowing in their own way, they are all guilty of a heinous crime - not taking responsibility for their crimes.
Three people sat eating breakfast in the kitchen. Outside, the sun shone. It was a lovely day. The storm was a thing of the past. And with the change in the weather, a change had come in the mood of the prisoners on the island" (Christie 157). I would rewrite this passage:
Three people sat eating breakfast in the kitchen. Outside, the sun shone. It was a lovely day. The storm was a thing of the past. However, the change in the weather had not brought a change in the mood of the prisoners on the island. Facing their own doom, they seemed determined to lighten their own guilt own up to their mistakes. Vera began, "It was my fault, you know. I let that little boy swim out to far, and then I took credit for trying to rescue him." The sound of the tinkling of another Indian figure breaking to bits was distinctly heard by the diners in the kitchen.
If the characters had assumed their own guilt in the beginning, the judge might not have had to use such dire measures to mete...
They might have paid dearly for their crimes, but their conscious would be clear, and they could feel as if they had paid for their deeds. Killing them may terrorize them, but it does not change the fact that they were cowards who could not own up to what they had done. Ultimately, meting out justice like this is not very satisfying, even for the sadistic judge who is thrilled with his own cleverness and the violence of his justice. Of course, if the final characters had owned up to what they had done, the ending and solution to the puzzle would not be nearly as surprising or as satisfying, which is the purpose of a good mystery novel.
Ten little Indian boys went out to dine; One choked his little self and then there were Nine.
Christie's novel as a sleuther is truly sublime.
The ultimate who-dun-it, she sprinkles clues throughout,
Then hands over the answers with a resounding clout.
If the butler didn't do,
Then who?
Readers may be surprised, even shocked,
In fact, their senses may be rocked.
Who did, it you say?
Who committed the crimes?
You'll just have to read the book, the answer's in the rhymes!
1. What clues does Christie sprinkle throughout the book that point to the Judge as the murderer?
2. Define Christie's feelings about justice in the book.
3. How does each of the characters react to the accusations of their guilt, and what does this say about their own feelings of guilt?
4. Is there a sympathetic character in this novel? If so, who is it?
5. What does Christie say about the English class system in this novel? Does she approve of the system or not?
References
Christie, Agatha. And Then There Were None. New York: Bantam Books, 1967.
