"Ten little soldier boys went out to dine; One choked his little self and then there

were Nine. Nine little

soldier boys sat up very late; One overslept himself and then there were Eight. Eight little soldier boys
travelling in Devon; One said he’d stay there and then there were Seven. Seven little soldier boys
chopping up sticks; One chopped himself in halves and then there were Six. Six little soldier boys playing
with a hive; A bumble bee stung one and then there were Five. Five little soldier boys going in for law;
One got in Chancery and then there were Four. Four little soldier boys going out to sea; A red herring
swallowed one and then there were Three. Three little soldier boys walking in the Zoo; A big bear
hugged one and then there were Two. Two little soldier boys sitting in the sun; One got frizzled up and
then there was One. One little soldier boy left all alone; He went and hanged himself And then there
were None."

And Then There Were None, hailed as the magnum opus of the most influential writer, Agatha
Christie, stands as a timeless masterpiece in the annals of literature. Published in 1939, this classic
mystery novel unfolds against the backdrop of the early 20th century, specifically during the interwar
period between World War I and World War II. This era was marked by significant societal changes,
including the aftermath of the Great War, the Roaring Twenties, and the Great Depression. As society
grapples with the change of times, the novel reflects the growing popularity of mystery and detective
fiction during that era, as well as the fascination with psychological thrillers and suspenseful storytelling.

The story of this gripping mystery novel revolves around ten strangers who are invited to an isolated
island under various pretexts. Soon after their arrival, they discover they are being accused of past
crimes, and one by one, they start dying under mysterious circumstances, following a pattern
reminiscent of the children's nursery rhyme. The story focuses on unraveling the characters' secrets,
motives, and connections to the crimes as they attempt to uncover the identity of the killer among them
before it's too late.

This work of Agatha Christie is quite peculiar compared to other detective novels. There's no detective
in this story. There's no hero. Maybe there's no justice, which is the theme of this novel. Justice.
However you may interpret the word. The whole plot is served to the reader in the very first chapter and
the title speaks for itself, what then is there to expect?

Often dubbed as the "Queen of Mystery," Agatha Christie crafted numerous acclaimed works in the
detective fiction genre. Her credentials as a master storyteller are evidenced by the enduring popularity
and critical acclaim of her novels such as The Murder on Orient Express and the Poirot Series. With its
engaging plot, suspenseful atmosphere, and lack of explicit content, And Then There Were None is
suitable for teenagers and adults. The novel's title is derived from a nursery rhyme that serves as a
thematic motif throughout the story, adding to the sense of foreboding and mystery. Inspired by Frank
Green's poem in 1869, Ten Little Niggers. The original poem and song have since been heavily criticized
for their racial insensitivity and offensive language. Christie's novel notably removes any racial references
and instead uses the rhyme as a thematic device to structure the plot, adding her own twist, Christie
changed the children's rhyme's name into Ten Little Soldier Boys. The context of the time period and the
setting contribute to the overall atmosphere and tone of the novel, enhancing its impact on readers. So,
while the inspiration for the title comes from an outside source, the story itself is a product of Christie's
imagination and storytelling prowess.

The rhyme, 'Ten Little Soldier Boys,' is prominently displayed in each guest's room on the house. And
in the table where they ate during their stay in the island, were 10 soldier boy figures. The house on the
island on which the characters stayed, is described as an imposing and isolated mansion, perched atop a
rugged cliff overlooking the sea. Despite its majestic appearance, the house carries an air of foreboding,
intensified by its remote location and the stormy weather that often envelops the island. As the story
progresses, each character is terminated, eerily following the gruesome children's rhyme, the figurines in
the table reduced one by one after each death. Christie masterfully employs these literary devices, the
title itself the embodiment of irony.

Furthermore, the characters are all figures of authority, including the characters. We have a former
judge and officer, a governess, military commander, an elderly catholic, and so on, and they are all
accused of murder. The irony of this surprisingly, and unfortunately, mirrors our reality. This sends a
message to the readers that those who have the power to guide and supposedly keep the society run
smoothly, are the ones who have skeletons in their closet, misusing the power to supposedly instill
justness that is given to them. The novel raises questions about the nature of justice and whether it can
be achieved through vigilante means. As each character on the island is accused of committing a crime,
and their subsequent deaths can be seen as a form of retribution for their past actions. However, the
morality of this approach is called into question as the line between justice and vengeance becomes
blurred. After being convicted, the characters either justify their actions, or they deny it completely,
showing the characters' morality. Either they recognize their crime or not. A matter of weighing down
whose life is more important; the others playing God by believing they have the right to punish the
sinners. Although Lombard admitted his murder of the African tribes, he justified it as self-preservation.
After all, according to Lombard, isn't the life of an English man more important than those damned
Africans? And according to Emily, her former servant's death was merely God's punishment for getting
pregnant while unmarried.

In the first chapter Emily read her bible in her room. Her lips moved as she followed the words:

“The heathen are sunk down in the pit that they made: in the net which they hid is their own foot taken.
The Lord is known by the judgment which he executeth: the wicked is snared in the work of his own
hands. The wicked shall be turned into hell.”

Psalms 9:15-20 from the King James Version. The verse can be interpreted as the religious people having
fallen into the very pit that they made, or so to speak, their own beliefs. The "wicked" will taste its own
medicine, like a snake slithering in circles, eventually biting its own tail. This is how the Lord is known by
the judgment he executes. Hell will be created out of the wicked. This implies that sometimes the pagan
people are the wicked ones, with their prejudicial beliefs and tendency to wish hell on those who do not
fit their checklist. Those who think that they can never do anything wrong and use God's name in their
defense. Their beliefs will be used against them.

Such very much foreshadows Emily's fate.

The perpetuator is quite adept to his torture method, psychological torture. With how he slowly
destroys the 10 victims' psyche, get them to turn them against each other, or even take their own life.
This is by not only engraving the children's rhyme in their vulnerable minds (also due to manipulation by
making them anxious and conscious of their crimes) but by also using the soldier figures as a killing
countdown, chipping the psyche of the characters to the point where Vera, the last person alive, had
hallucinations and ended up killing herself for the sake of following the poem. Adding to the torture is
the remote setting, where they are unable to get off the island while knowing that the killer in with
them, intensifying the sense of helplessness. The killer on the loose and in plain sight orchestrated the
perfect scheme by also by acting like one of the victims. By this charade of wolf in sheep's clothing, he
gets most of the victim's trusts, he gets to control them and keep them within arms length, even lead,
act as a reliable leader. And, ultimately, lead them to their deaths.

The engineer of this flawless ploy is none other than the very figure of justice; Justice Wargrave, one
of the ten characters on the island and a retired judge known for his stern demeanor and unwavering
sense of justice, again the irony. Notorious for his way of sentencing the guilty death by hanging.

Justice Wargrave, in the final chapter, revealed through a manuscript he left behind that he was the
mastermind. He explains his motives for orchestrating the deaths of all the guests on Soldier Island,
confessing to his crimes before committing suicide. For his scheme is still an act of murder, he believes
that he also deserves punishment. The chapter ties up loose ends and provides closure to the mystery,
leaving readers with a chilling conclusion.

Driven by his belief in the superiority of his own intellect and his desire to execute what he sees as
rightful justice, his mindset can be analyzed as superiority complex, sadistic tendencies, delusion and
unshakable sense of justice. He views himself as intellectually superior to others, believing that he has
the right to judge and punish those he deems guilty. Wargrave's background as a judge shapes his belief
in the importance of justice being served. He rationalizes his actions as serving a higher moral purpose,
believing that he is carrying out justice where the legal system has failed. Wargrave exhibits sadistic
tendencies, taking pleasure in the psychological torment of his victims as they realize their impending
doom. He admits all these in the manuscript, adding that his lust to kill is his reason enough to become a
judge. This desire rooting since childhood.

"I recognized this as the desire of the artist to express himself!"

Moreover, Wargrave is also self-gratifying. With how he sees himself as righteous for punishing their
crimes. And I'd like to emphasize this, he cares more about punishing the criminals and never did it occur
to him to bring justice to the murdered. It was never about justice. If it is, it is very hypocritical and
contradictory for his way of punishing by killing is in the name of justice, he simply made himself
murderer as well. As said on Psalms 9:15-20, 'the wicked is snared in the work of his own hands'. And
although his pattern of executing is terminating those who feel less guilt first, they all receive the same
punishment. He is again very quick to accuse people, something a judge should not be. In the
manuscript, his mere accusations are based on GOSSIP. This underscores the fact that the whole
stratagem is all for his self-satisfaction, for him to indulge in his urge to kill, his final act before dying from
sickness.

"No, my death should take place in a blaze of excitement. I would live before I died."

In the end, Wargrave excludes himself from the group of 'criminals', meaning he doesn't see himself
as one, resolute from the guilt of his crime, seeing it as a justified act, a necessary evil. Putting himself
above the accusation. An implicit bias but I believe contributes to the plot, how he gets to choose who
are guilty of crime and how they should be punished while he who has committed the very act he seeks
to castigate, doesn't get to be behind bars or sentenced to death, instead, he gets to orchestrate his own
death and die a happy man and a proud artist.
 Another necessary bias is the mentioned captious tendencies of Wargrave. The degree of each of the
characters' crime are each on different levels. Although Emily was a contributing factor to her Beatrice's
death, Emily was merely guilty of firing her, Beatrice was responsible for killing herself. The same could
be said to a former general, General Macarthur, he was guilty of sending his cheating wife's lover to war,
the lover was killed due to war not by Macarthur's own hands. Vera was guilty of neglect but not of
deliberately drowning the child who she was looking after. These characters contributed to the deaths
but they did not directly provoke the fate of the victims. Thus, the following questions are urged: Do
their crimes deserve the same punishment as the ones who killed children with no remorse, or as
someone who deliberately caused the death a whole tribe? And does anyone have the right to choose
what is the suitable punishment? If yes, what is the proper way of weighing it?

The whole novel is completed by these biases and criticisms of the authorities; that is what makes this
novel controversial and famous to this day. Along with the deliberately placed red herrings, symbolism,
and foreshadowing. Examples include a record entitled 'Swan Song', a metaphorical phrase for a final
gesture, effort, or performance given just before death or retirement, and the mention of 'Red Herring'
in the children's rhyme. And Wargrave's final act of killing himself by shooting his forehead was the
brand of Cain, the very first murderer. The characters having to eat a pig's tongue relate to the phrase
"eating your own tongue," which means to not divulge certain secrets or sensitive information.

The exploration of morality through Wargrave's character and actions is ambiguous. On one hand, he
is seeking retribution for the injustices perpetrated by the other characters, taking the law into his own
hands and committing murder himself. This raises questions about the nature of justice and whether it is
ever acceptable to act as judge, jury, and executioner. Can vigilante justice be considered just? Do we
have the right to choose the suitable punishment? And does a life equate another's life?; 'a life for a
life'?

Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None, published in 1939, immerses readers in a suspenseful
tale set against the backdrop of societal turmoil between the World Wars. As ten strangers find
themselves trapped on an island, accused of past crimes, they face a series of mysterious deaths echoing
a chilling nursery rhyme. Through clever use of literary devices, Christie crafts a narrative that delves into
themes of justice, guilt, and moral discourse, ultimately revealing the darker aspects of human nature. At
its core, the novel critiques authority and explores the consequences of unchecked power, embodied by
the enigmatic mastermind behind the killings, Justice Wargrave. With its gripping plot and thought-
provoking themes, And Then There Were None remains a timeless classic in the mystery genre.

This novel stands as a testament to Christie's unparalleled skill as a storyteller and solidifies her place
as one of the greatest mystery writers of all time. Christie's exploration of moral ambiguity and the
consequences of one's actions resonates with readers, prompting them to reflect on their own beliefs
about justice and morality, highlighting the complexity of these; it cannot be reduced to black and white.