Agatha Christie, and \"The Lord

¶ … Agatha Christie, and "the Lord of the Flies" by William Golding

Taking into consideration the revolutionary concepts present in literature written by Agatha Christie, a number of writers did not hesitate to inspire from the English crime writer's books. "And Then There Were None" is one of the most influential murder mysteries written across time. The ten little Indians theme and the one regarding the island and the people deserted on it are also employed by William Golding in his novel, "Lord of the Flies." Golding's endeavor is not necessarily meant to be devoted to Christie's writings, but it merely uses them as if they were a standard in writing.

Both Golding and Christie have used the ten little Indians theme and the latter has even made it part of the action in the book. While Christie's plot is related to crime, Golding focused on proving how a community can easily fail when it is left to govern itself. One of the first matters coming into the attention of both the characters in Golding's book and in the one that Christie wrote is that discipline should be installed in order for them to have more chances of survival. "We've got to have rules and obey them. After all, we're not savages. We're English, and the English are best at everything" (Golding, 40). "Self-preservation's a man's first duty. And natives don't mind dying, you know. They don't feel about it as Europeans do" (Christie, 46). Moreover, it is obvious that the characters in the two books felt that they will be assisted by the fact that they were civilized Europeans. It can be said that similar to Christie, Golding was determined to demonstrate how civilization is worth nothing in certain circumstances.

In spite of the fact that the two novels differ in nature, it is hard not to observe all the elements in Golding's book that have equivalents in Christie's. The main elements in "The Lord of the Flies" however are not similar to the ones in "And Then There Were None." While Christie's novel is meant to be a part of the crime literature genre, Golding's book is more of an allegorical novel. The two authors thus had separate intentions when they engaged in writing these books. It cannot be said that either of the books have a main character, or even one who is present in most events.

Christie's manuscript has a plot that presents mystery crime in the purest way possible. Even though she clearly wanted the book to display new elements in the genre, the author managed to stick to the strict rules of crime literature.

Clues and characters are shown without misleading readers and without triggering confusion in them. While a limited number of people consider that the ending of the novel is obvious, most tend to fall in the other group, failing to see all the factors predicting the finale.

To a certain extent, the beast in "Lord of the Flies" can be likened to the "dangerous homicidal lunatic" (56) in Christie's book, as they were both in the imagination of the characters and presented no real threat.

Curiously, the book's greatness is in fact a mystery to some, as it is difficult to understand how a novel filled with monotony can succeed in appealing to numerous individuals passionate in crime literature. Moreover, the actions in the book are more similar to texts written in a newspaper rather than being similar to crime novels. Christie's "And Then There Were None" can be characterized through simple ingenuity, with the writer succeeding in writing a book that fascinates people through its mysterious simplicity.

Christie's novel has encountered abundant successes from the first moment of its issuing, making it the best document written in crime literature. In spite of the fact that the book does not promote the image of one of Christie's heroic detectives, it still manages to entertain readers, providing them with a well-written mystery crime text, where crimes are solved without any outside assistance, as the action progresses.

A series of writers and film directors shown interest in adapting parts (some even adapted the whole plot) of "And Then There Were None" into their works.

Suspense, along with the ten little Indians theme was very successful elements in crime fiction. These were decisive in the success experienced by the individuals who inspired from Agatha Christie.

The film industry has come up with a large number of motion pictures based on Christie's masterpiece and the book has even been adapted to suit the events present in a video game. Similar to other adaptations of the book, the game does not provide a plot that is identical to the one wrote by Christie. Even with that, it puts forward a challenging chain of events which make the individual feel as if he or she were part of the action in the book.

Golding's boys are not much different from the adults in "And Then There Were None." The characters find themselves in similar positions and they are confused about their options. At a certain point, the boys claim that "maybe it's only us" (Golding, 80), this being a reference to the suspicion arising between Christie's characters.

When considering the novel's potential to provide material for live adaptations, it can be said that it is difficult to adapt for the stage as long as it is left in its basic form. However, Christie anticipated this and rewrote the script so that it would be easier for actors to engage in playing the show.

Vera Claythorne and Philip Lombard are left alive by Christie in the play version, so as to be able to tell the story. In spite of the fact that the world of theater embraced Christie's plot, the same thing cannot be said about "And Then There Were None" enthusiasts hoping to see a play that is true to the original story. In spite of the fact that the play does not achieve the perfection present in the book, it still manages to keep the audience in suspense, waiting for the plot to unfold so that they can learn more and more.

Christie's most praised novel has certainly drawn significant attention from innumerable readers of all ages and regardless of the genre which they preferred. "And Then There Were None" was used as inspiration for various movies and books, most made with the author's permission and support. However, there has been a lot of controversy surrounding the themes in the book, as it appears that they were used by a number of authors, without Christie's permission.