Question: Analyse how specific events reinforced your understanding of one or more ideas.
“Ideas” may refer to character, theme, or setting.
Introduction:
The events that you are included in life let you understand more about how the way of life goes. This is displayed throughout the novel ‘, And Then There Were None’ by Agatha Cristie. This novel is about ten characters led to the island by a mysterious person. Within that Island, they discover that each of them has committed a crime. The novel includes fate, mystery and justice that occurs through the events on the island. The event of the way they were put on the island because of their crimes. The way each china figure is found broken each time someone dies. And the way they each replicate the death that is said in the poem. This is explained through the way death is inevitable. The China Figures is replicating life and death. And how the poem seals each of the characters fate on the island. Agatha Cristie uses specific dialogue and techniques that helps set the understanding of the themes.
P1:
Throughout the novel, Agatha shows through events that death is inevitable. This is through the way the ten who have committed crimes that they got away with all found themselves gathered in the island. The crimes that they have committed was through the gramophone listing their names and all of the crimes that they have committed, with the ending statement being “Prisoners at bar, have you anything to say in your defence?” - U.N Owen. Armstrong caused the death of a woman on the operating table, Emily Brent was responsible for the death of Beatrice Taylor, Blore brought about the death of James Stephan Landor, Claythorne killed Cyril, Lombard was guilty for the death of twenty-one men, members of an East African tribe. Macarthur sent his wifes lover to war and then was killed. Marston is guilty for the murder of two children. Mr and Mrs Rogers brought about the death of a wealthy elderely woman and Wargrave was guilty of the murder of Seton.
The crimes that they have committed had caused them to be invited my U.N Owen to the island. In the island, one by one they all die, which links on hows the events that you are included in life let you understand more about how the way of life goes. Justice has came back for these people. It shows the reader that everything you do in life, good or bad, there will be consequences on the actions that you have not taken account of.
Therefore, the event of having all invited into the island because of their crimes (by which they found out on the first day they were on the island) shows how you can never get away with the crimes you have committed. The ten characters in the novel have given death on others, death is inevitable and it will come back for them.
P2:
Throughout the novel, Agatha Cristie shows through events that the China Figures represents life and death. Upon arriving in the island, Marston was the first to notice that in the centre of the round table, on a circular glass stand, were some little china figures. It was Mr Rogers that first pointed out that after Marston had died “I could have sworn there were ten of them.” This first leads the suspicion that the china figures represents the people on the island. Determining on how many are alive and how many are dead. The ten characters start to suspect that the china figures represents them through the way Lombard and Armstrong have found out that it “Fits too damned well to be a coincidence!” - Lombard. Continuously as numbers start to drop, they kept their eye on the china figures to see how many of them there are. The character who are more affected and keeping track of the china figures is Vera Claythorne. With every death she starts to freak about about how many soldiers there are which results into her starting to hesterically laugh, slowly losing her mind. This may be because of the trauma she holds and her belief that “Death is for others” and not herself.
This links to how the events that you are included in life let you understand more about how the way of life goes. Vera’s trauma due to the events in her life had led her to become hysterical and start to lose her mind. Which makes the reader realise that how the way of life goes is determined by the events that have occurred in your life.
Resultly, China figures represents life and death because it helps the characters determine how many people are still alive. With every death, one figure is broken. It also helps lead the case on who is U.N Owen. Towards the end of the novel, after shooting Lombard, Vera led up to the house and grabbed the soldiers. With a laugh Vera said: “You’re behind the times, my dears.” By which she picked up the remaining figures and tossed two of them out through the window. Indicating that two of the last three characters has died. With the remaining figure, she clasps it between her hands, it represents herself. When the China Figure fell out of her hand, it represents how now she has lost herself. This is because right after, she climbed on the chair, adjusted the noose round her neck and kicked the chair away. Not noticing that Wargrave, the adjusted murderer, was in the same room with Vera, watching her.
P3:
Throughout the novel, Agatha Cristie shows through events that the peom seals the characters fate in the island. This is through the way with every death, it resembles each verse of the poem. Upon arriving on the island, they found out that each of them had the ten little soldiers poem framed somwehere in their room. This is through the way they all found out about the ten china figures in the middle of the table. “They’re the ten little solider boys of the nursery rhyme, I suppose. In my bedroom the rhym is framed and hung up over the mantlepiece” -Vera. By this comment, everyone else joined in saying how the poem was in all of their rooms too. Throughout their time there, the deaths of each of them each line up with a verse in the poem. With the first one being choked to death, second ‘overslept’ and dies due to a sedative that was put into the tea, third going to Devon and staying there due to Macarthur realising that it is the end already for him. Fourth being chopped by an axe, Fifth being stung by a bee/syringe, sixth being wargrave’s fake death, seventh being drowned at sea, eighth being crushed by a heavy bear clock, ninth being shot to death and the last character committing suicide due to loneliness.
The poem symbolises the characters fate because each of the deaths went according to the poem. They knew it up until their death on how they were going to die, they even found the poem on the first day that they have gotten there. They all could have prevented their deaths or atleast make it hard for the murderer to achieve success in the end.
This links to how the events that you are included in life let you understand more about how the way of life goes. It tells the reader that everyone has a fate that they are destined to meet in each of our lives. Going into the religious aspect, God has our life planned out. From our very first breath to our very last. Christians believe that everything in our lives, every events is Gods plan and that we have to stick for it. Whether it is death or some troubles, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart…Know him in all your paths, and he will keep your ways straight” -Proverbs 3:5-6. In this case, Wargrave has helped give justice for those who committed crimes. The ten characters that were set on the island has escaped their punishment and took the lives of people that were not supposed to be taken. In this aspect, Wargrave symbolises the lord, straightening the paths of those who has made their own paths.
Conclusion:
Throughout the novel, it engages on the fact that the events that you are included in life lets you understand more about how the way of life goes. This is summarized through the event of the way they were put on the island because of their crimes, the way each china figure is found broken each time someone dies and the way they each replicate the death that is said in the poem; Explaining through why death is inevitable, China Figures is replicating life and death and the poem seals each of the characters fate on the island. To conclude, the events that we participate in each of our lives determines how the rest of our life goes.
