Difference between revisions of "And Then There Were None"

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== Plot ==
 
== Plot ==
 
The novel is centered around a large murder mystery based on an infamous blackface minstrel song that describes a group of people who die under strange circumstances one by one. Due to the racist original title (1939), the book was re-titled And Then There Were None in 1940, and it was also published as (also overtly racist) Ten Little Indians in 1964.<ref>[https://www.biblio.com/ten-little-niggers-by-christie-agatha/work/290352 Ten Little Niggers by Agatha Christie]. ''biblio.com''. Retrieved Jan 13, 2021</ref>
 
The novel is centered around a large murder mystery based on an infamous blackface minstrel song that describes a group of people who die under strange circumstances one by one. Due to the racist original title (1939), the book was re-titled And Then There Were None in 1940, and it was also published as (also overtly racist) Ten Little Indians in 1964.<ref>[https://www.biblio.com/ten-little-niggers-by-christie-agatha/work/290352 Ten Little Niggers by Agatha Christie]. ''biblio.com''. Retrieved Jan 13, 2021</ref>
Each of the ten victims – eight guests plus the island's two caretakers – is killed in a manner that reflects one of the lines of the rhyme.  
+
Each of the ten victims – eight guests plus the island's two caretakers – is killed in a manner that reflects one of the lines of the rhyme.
 +
 
 +
 
 +
{| class="wikitable"
 +
|+Modes of death of the victims vs the wording of the rhyme
 +
!No.
 +
!Character
 +
!Accusation
 +
!Mode of death
 +
!Original rhyme, early UK editions<ref name="OriginalRhyme">Christie, Agatha (March 2008). And Then There Were None. Harper-Collins. p. 276</ref>
 +
!Current version of the rhyme
 +
|-
 +
| -
 +
|'''Isaac Morris (deceased)'''
 +
|[Recent owner of the island. Sold illegal drugs to a woman who became an addict and later committed suicide]
 +
|Accepts a lethal cocktail of drugs to treat his imagined ailments
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|-
 +
|1
 +
|'''Anthony James Marston'''
 +
|Knocked over and killed two young children while recklessly speeding
 +
|Choked after drinking poisoned whisky
 +
|Ten little nigger boys went out to dine;
 +
One choked his little self and then there were Nine.
 +
|Ten little Soldier Boys went out to dine;
 +
One choked his little self and then there were nine.
 +
|-
 +
|2
 +
|'''Mrs Ethel Rogers'''
 +
|Allowed herself to be persuaded by her husband into withholding a former employer's medicine in order to collect an inheritance
 +
|Dies in her sleep of an unknown cause
 +
|Nine little nigger boys sat up very late;
 +
One overslept himself and then there were Eight.
 +
|Nine little Soldier Boys sat up very late;
 +
One overslept himself and then there were eight.
 +
|-
 +
|3
 +
|'''General John Gordon MacArthur'''
 +
|Ordered a younger officer to undertake a mission where he was almost guaranteed to be killed
 +
|Killed by a heavy blow to the head
 +
|Eight little nigger boys travelling in Devon;
 +
One said he'd stay there and then there were Seven.
 +
|Eight little Soldier Boys travelling in Devon;
 +
One said he'd stay there and then there were seven.<ref>Christie, Agatha (1944). And Then There Were None: A Mystery Play in Three Acts. Samuel French. This line is sometimes replaced by ''One got left behind and then there were seven''.</ref>
 +
|-
 +
|4
 +
|'''Thomas Rogers'''
 +
|Induced his wife to withhold a former employer's medicine in order to collect an inheritance
 +
|Killed with an axe while chopping wood
 +
|Seven little nigger boys chopping up sticks;
 +
One chopped himself in halves and then there were Six.
 +
|Seven little Soldier Boys chopping up sticks;
 +
One chopped himself in halves and then there were six.
 +
|-
 +
|5
 +
|'''Emily Caroline Brent'''
 +
|Dismissed her teenage maid for becoming pregnant out of wedlock, the dismissal causing the maid to drown herself
 +
|Injected with poison
 +
|Six little nigger boys playing with a hive;
 +
A bumble-bee stung one and then there were Five.
 +
|Six little Soldier Boys playing with a hive;
 +
A [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bumblebee bumblebee] stung one and then there were five.
 +
|-
 +
|6
 +
|'''Lawrence John Wargrave (Mr Justice Wargrave)'''
 +
|Improperly influenced a jury to bring in a guilty verdict against a man many thought to be innocent; and sentencing him to death
 +
|Gunshot wound to the head, while dressed as a judge
 +
|Five little nigger boys going in for law;
 +
One got in Chancery and then there were Four.
 +
|Five little Soldier Boys going in for law;
 +
One got in [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Court_of_Chancery Chancery] and then there were four.
 +
|-
 +
|7
 +
|'''Dr Edward George Armstrong'''
 +
|Responsible for the death of a patient whom he had operated on while drunk
 +
|Drowns after being pushed over a cliff into the sea
 +
|Four little nigger boys going out to sea;
 +
A red herring swallowed one and then there were Three.
 +
|Four little Soldier Boys going out to sea; A [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_herring_(narrative) red herring] swallowed one and then there were three.
 +
|-
 +
|8
 +
|'''William Henry Blore'''
 +
|Gave [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perjury perjured evidence] in court resulting in an innocent man being convicted,  sentenced to life imprisonment, and dying shortly afterwards
 +
|Crushed to death by a marble clock shaped like a bear
 +
|Three little nigger boys walking in the zoo;
 +
A big bear hugged one and then there were Two.
 +
|Three little Soldier Boys walking in the zoo;
 +
A big bear hugged one and then there were two.
 +
|-
 +
|9
 +
|'''Philip Lombard'''
 +
|As a soldier, caused the deaths of a number of East African tribesmen, after stealing their food and abandoning them to their fate
 +
|Shot by Vera on the beach
 +
|Two little nigger boys sitting in the sun;
 +
One got frizzled up and then there was One.
 +
|Two little Soldier Boys sitting in the sun;
 +
One got frizzled up and then there was one.<ref>Note: In some versions the ninth verse reads ''Two little Soldier boys playing with a gun/One shot the other and then there was One.''</ref>
 +
|-
 +
|10
 +
|'''Vera Elizabeth Claythorne'''
 +
|As a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Governess governess], allowed her young charge to drown so that his uncle could inherit the family estate and marry her
 +
|Hangs herself
 +
|One little nigger boy left all alone;
 +
He went and hanged himself and then there were None.
 +
|One little Soldier Boy left all alone;
 +
He went out and hanged himself and then there were none.<ref>Christie, Agatha (March 2008). And Then There Were None. Harper-Collins. p. 276. </ref>
 +
|}
  
 
== References ==
 
== References ==

Revision as of 08:29, 13 January 2021

And Then There Were None is one of the classics. A mystery novel written by the English writer Agatha Christie. It was first published in the United Kingdom by the Collins Crime Club on 6 November 1939, as Ten Little Niggers, after the children's Ten Little Indians and minstrel song, which serves as a major element of the plot.[1]

The book is the world's best-selling mystery, and with over 100 million copies sold is one of the best-selling books of all time. Publications International lists the novel as the sixth best-selling title.[2]

Plot

The novel is centered around a large murder mystery based on an infamous blackface minstrel song that describes a group of people who die under strange circumstances one by one. Due to the racist original title (1939), the book was re-titled And Then There Were None in 1940, and it was also published as (also overtly racist) Ten Little Indians in 1964.[3] Each of the ten victims – eight guests plus the island's two caretakers – is killed in a manner that reflects one of the lines of the rhyme.


Modes of death of the victims vs the wording of the rhyme
No. Character Accusation Mode of death Original rhyme, early UK editions[4] Current version of the rhyme
- Isaac Morris (deceased) [Recent owner of the island. Sold illegal drugs to a woman who became an addict and later committed suicide] Accepts a lethal cocktail of drugs to treat his imagined ailments
1 Anthony James Marston Knocked over and killed two young children while recklessly speeding Choked after drinking poisoned whisky Ten little nigger boys went out to dine;

One choked his little self and then there were Nine.

Ten little Soldier Boys went out to dine;

One choked his little self and then there were nine.

2 Mrs Ethel Rogers Allowed herself to be persuaded by her husband into withholding a former employer's medicine in order to collect an inheritance Dies in her sleep of an unknown cause Nine little nigger boys sat up very late;

One overslept himself and then there were Eight.

Nine little Soldier Boys sat up very late;

One overslept himself and then there were eight.

3 General John Gordon MacArthur Ordered a younger officer to undertake a mission where he was almost guaranteed to be killed Killed by a heavy blow to the head Eight little nigger boys travelling in Devon;

One said he'd stay there and then there were Seven.

Eight little Soldier Boys travelling in Devon;

One said he'd stay there and then there were seven.[5]

4 Thomas Rogers Induced his wife to withhold a former employer's medicine in order to collect an inheritance Killed with an axe while chopping wood Seven little nigger boys chopping up sticks;

One chopped himself in halves and then there were Six.

Seven little Soldier Boys chopping up sticks;

One chopped himself in halves and then there were six.

5 Emily Caroline Brent Dismissed her teenage maid for becoming pregnant out of wedlock, the dismissal causing the maid to drown herself Injected with poison Six little nigger boys playing with a hive;

A bumble-bee stung one and then there were Five.

Six little Soldier Boys playing with a hive;

A bumblebee stung one and then there were five.

6 Lawrence John Wargrave (Mr Justice Wargrave) Improperly influenced a jury to bring in a guilty verdict against a man many thought to be innocent; and sentencing him to death Gunshot wound to the head, while dressed as a judge Five little nigger boys going in for law;

One got in Chancery and then there were Four.

Five little Soldier Boys going in for law;

One got in Chancery and then there were four.

7 Dr Edward George Armstrong Responsible for the death of a patient whom he had operated on while drunk Drowns after being pushed over a cliff into the sea Four little nigger boys going out to sea;

A red herring swallowed one and then there were Three.

Four little Soldier Boys going out to sea; A red herring swallowed one and then there were three.
8 William Henry Blore Gave perjured evidence in court resulting in an innocent man being convicted, sentenced to life imprisonment, and dying shortly afterwards Crushed to death by a marble clock shaped like a bear Three little nigger boys walking in the zoo;

A big bear hugged one and then there were Two.

Three little Soldier Boys walking in the zoo;

A big bear hugged one and then there were two.

9 Philip Lombard As a soldier, caused the deaths of a number of East African tribesmen, after stealing their food and abandoning them to their fate Shot by Vera on the beach Two little nigger boys sitting in the sun;

One got frizzled up and then there was One.

Two little Soldier Boys sitting in the sun;

One got frizzled up and then there was one.[6]

10 Vera Elizabeth Claythorne As a governess, allowed her young charge to drown so that his uncle could inherit the family estate and marry her Hangs herself One little nigger boy left all alone;

He went and hanged himself and then there were None.

One little Soldier Boy left all alone;

He went out and hanged himself and then there were none.[7]

References

  1. Peers, Chris; Spurrier, Ralph; Sturgeon, Jamie (1999). Collins Crime Club: a checklist of the first editions (2nd ed.). London, UK: Dragonby Press. p. 15. ISBN 1-871122-13-9.
  2. Davies, Helen; Dorfman, Marjorie; Fons, Mary; Hawkins, Deborah; Hintz, Martin; Lundgren, Linnea; Priess, David; Clark Robinson, Julia; Seaburn, Paul; Stevens, Heidi; Theunissen, Steve (14 September 2007). "21 Best-Selling Books of All Time". Editors of Publications International, Ltd. Archived from the original on 7 April 2009. Retrieved 25 March 2009.
  3. Ten Little Niggers by Agatha Christie. biblio.com. Retrieved Jan 13, 2021
  4. Christie, Agatha (March 2008). And Then There Were None. Harper-Collins. p. 276
  5. Christie, Agatha (1944). And Then There Were None: A Mystery Play in Three Acts. Samuel French. This line is sometimes replaced by One got left behind and then there were seven.
  6. Note: In some versions the ninth verse reads Two little Soldier boys playing with a gun/One shot the other and then there was One.
  7. Christie, Agatha (March 2008). And Then There Were None. Harper-Collins. p. 276.