And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

And Then There Were None is an enthralling mystery novel by esteemed author Agatha Christie. It is a horror filled scenario in which ten people are trapped on an island, and get killed off one by one, the deaths corresponding with the children's rhyme ‘Ten Little Indians.’ In order to benefit themselves, three alliances are formed throughout the novel: between Blore, Armstrong, and Lombard; Claythorne and Lombard; and Armstrong and Wargrave. The alliances have great impact on the characters’ actions and the novel itself, in aiding or hindering the murderer, and building suspense as alliances fall.

A: The “Ten Little Indians” rhyme guides the progression of the novel. The singsong, childish verses tell the story of the deaths of ten Indian boys and end with the line that gives the novel its title: “and then there were none.” A framed copy of the rhyme hangs in every bedroom, and ten small Indian figures sit on the dining-room table. The murders are carried out to match, as closely as possible, the lines in the poem, and after each murder, one of the figures vanishes from the dining room. The overall effect is one of almost supernatural inevitability;

Furthermore, dramatic irony is abundantly found throughout And Then There Were None. Dramatic irony occurs when the readers are aware of a particular event or instance transpiring, however, the characters are simultaneously oblivious as it arises. First, dramatic irony is communicated in the beginning of the book. The novel’s characters are invited to Indian Island for various reasons, and the invitations are signed under the name “U.N. Owen”, except for Justice Wargrave’s letter. After the arrival of all of the characters, they come to what they deem to be a modest realization that none of them physically have met either of the Owens. Mr. Thomas Rogers, the butler, announced the whereabouts of Mr. Owen to the rest of the guests: “Mr. Owen—unfortunately delayed—unable to get here till to-morrow.

The short story, "My Last Duchess," by critically acclaimed, Canadian novelist Margaret Atwood, is an intriguing and thought-provoking work of prose. Though it ties considerably to the famous work by the same name, written by Robert Browning, it also brings its own ideas, and symbols to the table. The most prominent symbolic link within this story is the representation between the characterization of Miss Bessie--the high school english teacher--and the narrator 's ideas, thoughts, and fears about life. The term life -- for the purposes of this essay -- is defined as the existence of an individual person and their course through the world. In “My Last Duchess,” the narrator 's life is symbolically represented through Miss Bessie by the character traits of a positive reputation, overcoming obstacles, and the solitary nature of people.

“Ten little soldier boys went out to dine; One choked his little self and then there were Nine…One little soldier boy left all alone; he went and hanged himself And then there were None” (Green). A group of 10 strangers are sent to the mysterious Soldier Island for a so called vacation. What they don’t know is that there is one murderer among them. During their first night on the island, a mysterious record reveals the darkest secret of each person, they are murderers. Soon after that, the first murder is committed and death is among them. As the crowd of ten diminishes, the china soldiers on the table do as well, until there are none. In And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie, the theme of guilt is portrayed when Vera Claythorne hangs herself, when the record is played on the gramophone, and when Miss Emily Brent has flashbacks.

In the novel, And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie, Anthony “Tony” Marston’s recklessness, curiosity, and carelessness lead people to think of him as an immortal god. He soon finds out that these traits gets him on an island where he gets killed by a murderer.

In his short story, Until Gwen, Dennis Lehane engages the reader to experience the world from the protagonist point of view. As the story follows, the main character is released from prison and reunited with his father in search of a hidden stolen diamond. While the writer reveals their dark past and destructive relationship.

“For That He Looked Not Upon Her” written by George Gascoigne, a sixteenth century poet, is a poem in which the speaker feels like he cannot look upon the one he loves so that he will not be trapped by her. In this poem, Gascoigne uses closed form, visual imagery, and miserable diction to tell why the speaker cannot look upon the face of the woman he loves.

The author Agatha Christie who wrote the novel And Then There Were None set the theme of a powerful journey leading the main characters in a decision of survival and fate, the way the author Agatha Christie goes into different elements to show how this theme came about is irony. She uses this technique to get the audiences full attention on how the mystery in this novel bring about missing characters and will be the lost standing Agatha Christie is not one of your ordinary authors; she brings a point in the novel which is a very suspenseful view that will catch your attention.

Violence and crime have a large influence on the short story, “The Disappeared” by Charles Baxter. Throughout the story Anders, the protagonist, is often affected by the crime in Detroit. He is unaware to how dangerous the city is because of his short time spent he has spent in the United States. “The Disappeared” does well in reflecting what Detroit was like in 1990, specifically in terms of violence and crime. The short story is shaped by how Anders and the other characters are affected by the violence and crime in the city.

Mrs. Abbott began to describe her story and the purpose of the detectives’ invitations. Her husband, Mr. Abbott, was alive, but without thought or movement. Mr. Abbott,

Throughout many works of literature, characters are described to go through a rite of passage, developing the plot and solving conflicts. A rite of passage is when a character goes through life changes, realizing his/her flaws and maturing as a person. Walter Lee Younger is a man that goes through many different character changes, which cause conflict amongst the other characters. Once he goes through his rite of passage, he is able to fix his flaws and mature. In Lorraine Hansberry’s play, A Raisin in the Sun, characterization is used to portray that one must experience a rite of passage in order to mature.

Consequently, the guests, one by one, are mysteriously murdered. The guests that remain soon realize that all of the deaths are linked to one thing: the nursery rhyme located in each of the bedrooms in the house. Unbelievable as that may be, the guests begin to turn on each other becoming very paranoid and suspecting everyone that poses a threat. And Then There Were None keeps the reader guessing until the very end when the unlikely subject, Justice Wargrave, the retired judge, is the mastermind behind the mass murders. Through his sense of justice and longing to invent the perfect murder mystery, Wargrave succeeded in killing all nine guests going unsuspected. In his confession, he describes how he constructed his perfect murders and how he killed himself so that no inspector could solve the mystery. The strange mystery of Indian Island remains unsolved for the detectives, but the guilt of knowing the murderer will linger on the reader’s lips.

With recognition of Judy Blundell listening to music that originated from the era of post-WWII, while writing her book What I Saw and How I lied, readers are able to correlate it to the development of the main character Evie, and how it impacts her actions towards a romantic interest. Blundell, who typically publishes under the pseudonym of Jude Watson, is an American author who writes books for teenagers and adults. Although she is a highly recognized writer for other books, Blundell was able to receive the prestigious National Book Award for What I Saw and How I lied. In an interview about her achievement that was conducted by The School Library Journal, she was posed with the question of what influenced her to create Evie the way she did.

The Scarlet Letter (Figure 1) painted by Hugues Merle in 1861 depicts the novel The Scarlet Letter by Nathanial Hawthorne. Hester Prynne, an adulteress forced to wear the letter “A” upon her bosom forever, becomes an outcast from the community with her daughter, Pearl. Merle was often known for painting scenes of mothers and children. He illustrates the scene of Hester and Pearl sitting in the town square as part of her punishment. The townspeople walk by, pointing fingers and making shrewd remarks. Merle’s painting, his biography, and other renditions of the novel and painting will be later discussed.