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.
| 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
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ Ten Little Niggers by Agatha Christie. biblio.com. Retrieved Jan 13, 2021
- ↑ Christie, Agatha (March 2008). And Then There Were None. Harper-Collins. p. 276
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ Christie, Agatha (March 2008). And Then There Were None. Harper-Collins. p. 276.