- Analyse how the beginning of the text provided important clues about the ending.
By allowing yourself to be the main character and see what they see you are able to fully allow yourself to be a part of the story. In the novel “And Then There Were None” by Agatha Christie, the beginning provides important clues about the ending, which can be seen through the eyes of the main character who many readers think is Vera Claythorne. There are three main clues given throughout the novel that help the reader understand the ending of the story and find the clues each of these clues are able to be seen through Vera eyes. The first is the gramophone recording, the second is the title of the novel and the last is the poem (ten little soldier boys) used throughout the novel.
The gramophone recording is one of the most important clues given during the novel, as the reader is able to understand the reasoning behind the guests’ random invitation to Soldier Island. Each of the ten guests on Soldier Island have been convicted of killing someone according to the gramophone recording which gave an insight into why they were on the island and why they were chosen. “Vera Elizabeth Claythorne, that on the 11th of August, 1935, you killed Cyril Ogilvie Hamilton”. The gramophone accuses every guest on the island of different murders, Vera Claythorne is convicted of killing a young child named Cyril and Phillip Lomabrd is convicted of killing twenty-one East African tribe members. “Phillip Lombard, that upon a date in February, 1932, you were guilty of the death of twenty-one men, members of an East African tribe”. Vera had been convicted of killing Cyril who was a young boy she looked after, well being in love with Cyril’s uncle; Hugo. She let him go swimming without supervision and left him to drown knowing he could swim to the location he was planning on swimming too. All of the guests are guilty according to the gramophone recording. Many of the guests get upset by the convictions and some deny knowing anything about them. They each had similar convictions which made readers assume that the invitations they received weren’t by accident and that they had something to do with each of them murdering someone. The gramophone recording allows the readers to understand the purpose of the novel and try to see what the author is trying to get the reader to think about during this scene. It also shows an important clue about the ending of the novel, as it makes the reader think that they were possibly invited for revenge.
The title of the novel “And Then There Were None” is one of the most important clues throughout the whole book. This gave the readers an insight right from the start as it made them guess what the title meant and what it had to do with the story. The book starts off with ten guests and ends with none which relates to the title of the novel “And Then There Were None”. As only the reader is able to see the title and none of the characters in the book know about it, this gives the reader a leg up on the characters. As the title is the first thing in the novel it makes the reader think right from the start, they have to use their imagination and try to get into the novel through the main character’s eyes. This clue is given to them for the length of the whole novel and it allows the readers to think about the ending and what might happen. The title of the book gives an important clue to the reader, as it allows the reader to use their imagination, and it allows the reader to understand what the author is trying to say when giving this clue. It also shows an important clue about the ending of the novel, as it makes the reader feel that the character’s purpose on the island has something to do with the title of the novel.
The poem that is introduced to the characters near the beginning, after being found in every room of the house. Ten little soldier boys shows the lives of 10 boys who all die in different ways but at similar times. At the start the characters notice it but don’t take it into consideration, but after the first death happens and it corresponds with the poem, it starts to concern the characters and worry about their own safety. As more deaths happen they get more scared as they all start to correspond with the poem and this way the characters know how the next person is going to die. There is one quote that shows how much the characters are scared and how they are all going slightly crazy. “I know the whole thing by heart, I tell you! Six little soldier boys playing with a hive. And that’s why I’m asking - do they keep bees on this island?”. Vera says this quote as she is worried about her safety and the possibility of her being killed next, as she knows the poem by heart she knows that the next person will die in correspondence with the boy in the poem who dies from playing with a hive. Many of the characters at this stage of the book have started going crazy, as there is death all around them and they all have feelings that they each are going to die. Many of them think there is someone else on the island who is killing the guests, but none of them know where the person is. As there are no boys left at the end of the poem it gives an important clue to the reader and the characters in the book as the number of guests corresponds with the number of soldier boys. As the guests don’t know who is killing who, they are all worried about their lives and can’t trust anyone. The poem in the novel gives an important clue for the reader, as it allows for the reader to also have the same understanding of the characters. The author uses the poem as a way to give a clue to everyone and to show that the guests are on the island for a reason. It also shows an important clue about the ending of the book, as it makes the reader think that they are all going to die and allows the reader to know how.
By allowing yourself to be the main character and see what they see you are able to fully allow yourself to be a part of the story. As shown in the novel “And Then There Were None” by Agatha Christie, where the reader is allowed to follow the story along with the main characters, being able to fully emerge themselves into the story and understand how the characters in the book feel. The three main clues given throughout the novel are the gramophone recording, the title of the novel and the poem (ten little soldier boys) which is used throughout the novel. All of these clues help the reader and the characters in the book to be able to use the clues to imagine what the end of the book was going to be about and how it might end.
