Independent+Novel+Study

And Then There Were None/ Ten Little Niggers - Agatha Cristie

December 3 Pages 5-49

Mr. and Mrs Owens have invited ten guests to their home on Niggers Island. They all come from different backgrounds and the guests find it hard to believe that one couple could know ten people as different as they are. When they have all met at Niggers Island they find that their host and hostess are not there. After they finish dinner they are talking in a lounge when they hear a voice accusing them all of some form of murder.

Why did you select this novel? I selected this novel because while in France last year i began to read older english books(due to the lack of current ones) and fell in love with Agatha Cristie (I also already had this book so there was no need to buy one).

What information did you need to know before reading the novel? The only information that one might need before reading this novel is that as it is written by Agatha Cristie it is going to be a murder mystery.

What has happened before the novel began? Before the novel had begun Mr. and Mrs. Owens's ten guest had all received a letter inviting them to spend some time at Niggers Island.

Maybe you should find a newer publication of this novel. We have many copies in the library. The language and terminology in this edition does not reflect 21st century sensibilities. 8/10 December 10 pages 49-81

After hearing the voice accusing them all of murder the ten guests become extremely nervous making up excuses for what they have been accused of. They begin to take turns explaining themselves and tell "the truth" or their side of the story. After they have all explained themselves they agree that who ever this Mr. Owens is that he must be a homicidal lunatic and that it would be best if they all left the island the next morning. The only person who objects to this is Anthony Marston. who says that " the whole thing is like a detective story. Positively thrilling."After this he takes a sip of his drink (perhaps to big of one) and falls over dead. When examined it appears that he poisoned himself using cyanide which no one can believe as he was in his prime. after they are all going to bed Rogers notices that there are only 9 humans figures on the table now instead of 10. Once in their rooms they start thinking about the murders that they were accused of committing and we learn that all the excuses that they had made up were indeed false and that they have all committed murder. In the middle of the night Rogers comes into Dr. Armstrong's room saying that there is something wrong with his wife when she is examined it appears that she to died in her sleep. The next morning while rogers is in the kitchen Armstrong breaks the news about his wife. the guests start speculating about whether Rogers killed her. After breakfast when Rogers is cleaning up the dishes he again notices that instead of 9 human figures on the table there are now only 8.

Who is telling the story? How does this person’s perspective effect the way the story is told? There is no one perspective it changes between all the characters and a third party. This gives one time to see the story through their eyes but also become each character at a given time.

What is the setting of the novel? Is the setting important or could the novel be happening anywhere? Why? The setting is Nigger's island. This setting is very important because it keeps all the characters in the same place if the story were to take place on the main land all the characters would have left by now.

How does the author get you to read on or hold your interest? Agatha Christie hold our interest by using huge amounts of fore shadowing. The perfect example of this is the poem "Ten Little Niggers". MORE DETAIL ON THE QUESTIONS 7/10 December 30 Pages 81-125

After breakfast on the morning of Mrs. Rogers’s death everyone heads outside. After discussing the events that had transpired the night before Dr Armstrong, Blore and Lombard decide that they will methodically search the island for this Mr Owen. After their search they realise that they only people on this island are their eight selves. During this time Emily Brent and Vera Claythorne discuss the possibilities that Rogers had killed his wife and that the accusations from the previous night are true. Once Rogers rings the bell for lunch they all begin to make their way in to the house. As they sit down and begin to eat they realise that Macarthur is not among them. When heading outside to get him they come upon his body. After this third death everyone realises that the possibility that the deaths are freak coincidences is no longer a possible. After lunch they sit down and methodically go over the evidence in hopes of ruling one of them out as the murderer only to come to the conclusion that they could all be Mr. U.N. Owen.

What new things are added to the original problem as the novel progresses? As the story progresses more deaths are add to the original problem (the first death). These deaths also provoke fear and cause no one to trust anyone.

Comment on the style of the novel. Is it easy or hard to follow the events? Between the many characters and older English style of writing events can at times be hard to follow. For me personally it was hardest at the beginning, but as the story progresses you are sucked in and it becomes easier to follow.

Is the language in the novel difficult or easy? Give examples and explain. If you are not used to reading older English books the language can be difficult. At first I didn’t understand what they meant when they used terms such as "we are all met" and when they used save as a synonym for except for.

MORE DETAIL ON THE QUESTIONS 7/10

January 7 Pages 125-157

after discussing their current situation and coming to the con conclusion that they could all be the murderer the break off into smaller groups and discuss who they believe to be Mr. Owen. The women go to be at 9 p.m. and the men follow an hour later. Rogers is the last on to go to be and he locks all the doors to insure that there are no nigger tricks tonight. the guests wake late the next day to find that Rogers had gotten up,shaved and set the table for breakfast. However he had not lit the fire use to prepare breakfast. after searching the house they are still unable to find him. It is only when they head out to the wood pile that they find his body with a deep gash in the head and a bloody axe near by. After Rogers's death Vera goes mad and begins to rant about bees. it is only after Dr. Armstrong strikes her that she calms down and she explains how she had seen the poem and how the sixth little nigger boy dies of a bee sting. After having returned to the house they explain to Emily what had happened to Rogers. The news doesn't seem to rattle her at all between that and the fact that when they woke she was wandering the island alone they begin to suspect her. These suppositions prove wrong however when she is the next one to die. Again Mr. Owen had used poison and right near her corps they found a bee buzzing around. After Miss. Brent's death it is decided that all possible weapons are to be put in a safe and locked.They search and round up all lethal objects and place them in a safe with the exception of mr. Lombard's revolver which has gone missing.

Why would you (or why wouldn't you) recommend this novel to a friend? Yes I believe i would it is a great book the keeps one guessing to the end. The fact that there's no main character is an interesting concept. We are are given too much information which is why we keep on guessing to the very end. These are the two main reasons why this book is so unique and why I would recommend it to a friend.

What message did you get from the novel? How was this message conveyed?Is the novel believable? The message that I received from the novel was that all our sins will find us. This message is conveyed by having almost all the characters at one point or another confess to murder in one fashion or another,having some characters accept that their sines have found them and prepare for their punishment and by having other characters in denial. This story is highly unbelievable the fact the some one would track down nine people who have gotten away with murder and invite them to and island and then start to kill them one by one. Also the fact that nine people who had received letters from a man who they don't remember all that well would go to his island ( I'm pretty sure that someone couldn't make it ).

How are the major and minor conflicts solved? The major and minor conflicts are never really solved. They're still stuck on a unknown island with no idea who Mr. Owen is. However they try to resolve the conflicts ( deaths ) that arise by going through the evidence logically in hopes of ruling out any one person. They also try to take any possible precautions against Mr. Owen such as locking and barricading their doors and being hyper-vigilante.

January 11 Pages 157-221

As the others rush up to Vera's room after hearing her scream Wargrave is left alone. He is then found a few minutes later dead, shot through the head. Later on that night Dr. Armstrong wanders out at night only to be found later the next day in the water violently pushed in between two rocks. As Blore heads in to the house to fetch something to eat a lamp fallen from Vera's room hits him on the head killing. Vera and Lombard now believe that the other is Mr. U.N Owen as they drag Dr. Armstrong's body out of the water Vera pickpockets Lombard's revolver and shoots him with it. She heads up to her room thinking that she is safe and may now go back to a normal life. when she arrives at her room she finds a noose hanging from the ceiling and a chair ready to be kicked away. She hangs herself and then there were none. In the epilogue we read a letter written by Wargrave in which he admits to having been Mr. U.N Owen and explains to us how he pulled off the greatest murder mystery ever.

Why did (or didn't) the novel meet your expectations? This novel met my expectations completely as I did not expect to figure out who the murderer was.I also expected to be able to picture everyone as the murderer. It was these two contributing factors that had me guessing to the end and therefore made the novel so enjoyable.

What is the climax of the novel? The climax of the novel comes in Wargrave's letter. it is after he explains how he committed the murders and right before he explains why he has put his confession in a bottle and thrown it out to sea.

What plot twists or unexpected events happen as the novel goes on? The most unexpected plot twist happens at the very end when everyone is dead and we don't know who Mr. Owen is. It is only after reading Wargrave's confession does the story become perfectly clear. This plot twist enraged me because up until the point of his death i had believed Wargrave to be Mr. U.N Owen.

Plot summary: Ten Little Niggers In Agatha Christie’s Ten Little Niggers, ten completely unrelated people find themselves invited to Nigger’s Island by a Mr. U.N. Owen. These people have absolutely nothing in common; they come from different back grounds. Some are servants others doctors or judges. However as the story progresses it becomes clear that they do have a common tie, that is that they have all committed murder. As people start to die one by one it becomes clear that the poem Ten Little Niggers that hangs in all their rooms is a prophecy. As each person who dies meets the same death as one of the “little niggers” in this poem. Everyone knows that this Mr. U.N. Owen is one of them and as more and more people meet their fate the suspicions the survivors grow. It is between their suspicions and the fact the Agatha Christie constantly uses each (alive) character to tell the story that makes it impossible for the reader to guess who Mr. U.N. Owen could possibly be. The climax comes in a letter written by Mr. Wargrave ( the sixth person to die). in his letter we learn of how he faked his own death and then killed the remaining guests. I did enjoy this plot as murder mystery books are my favourite genre of book. I also like how Agatha Christie uses everyone to tell the story. I find it a challenge to root through all the information given in efforts to find the killer. However I was frustrated when I learned that Wargrave was Mr U.N. Owen because up until his death I had suspected him.