And Then There Were None (Book)

**And Then There Were None**, originally titled **Ten Little Ni\*\*ers** and later changed to **Ten Little Indians**, is one of the most popular books by author Agatha Christie, and cited as one of the greatest mysteries ever.

## Plot

### Synopsis

*" Ten strangers are invited to Soldier Island, an isolated rock off the Devon coast. Cut off from the mainland, with the generous host mysteriously absent, they are each accused of a terrible crime. Then one of the guests die suddenly, and they realize there may be a murderer in their midst - a murderer who might strike again... and again. And all the time, copies of a macabre nursery rhyme hang in each room, a nursery rhyme with an omen of death for all ten of them."* - Description from one of the versions.

The story follows ten guests that are invited for the weekend to the mysterious Indian [or Soldier] island by the mysterious Mr. Owen. After dinner however, when the Owens have failed to arrive, one of the guests suddenly collapses dead. With every guest have a dirty secret of a previous crime involving death, everyone become suspicious of each other as more people are found dead.

## Story Elements

### The Poem

Ten Little Indians, also known as Ten Little Soldier Boys, is a poem referenced in the book, and used as the central mean of figuring out the deaths of the guests. The poem tells the story of ten people dying by various means. The rhymes are supposed to indicate how each individual dies.

1. *"Ten little Indian boys going out to dine. One choked his little self and then there were nine."*
2. *"Nine little Indian boys sat up very late. One overslept himself and then there were eight."*
3. *"Eight little Indian boys traveling in Devon. One said he'd stay there and then there were seven."*
4. *"Seven little Indian boys chopping up sticks. One chopped himself in half and then there were six."*
5. *"Six little Indian boys playing with a hive. Bumblebee stung one of them and then there were five."*
6. *"Five little Indian boys going in for law. One got in Chancery and then there were four."*
7. *"Four little Indian boys going out to sea. A red herring swallowed one and then there were three."*
8. *"Three little Indian boys walking in the zoo. A big bear hugged one and then there were two."*
9. *"Two little Indian boys playing in the sun. One got frizzled up and then there was one."*
10. *"One little Indian boy left all alone. He went and hanged himself and then there were none."*

### Characters

Ten guests are usually portrayed quite similarly to their book counterparts.

* Vera Claythorne- Previously a schoolteacher, she is hired by Mrs. Owen to be her secretary. She is said to have let a young child drown.
* Philip Lombard- A world famous explorer. He is said to have killed 21 members of an African tribe.
* William Blore- A retired police inspector. He is said to have sentenced a man to die in prison.
* Edward Armstrong- A paranoid doctor. He is said to drunkly killed a woman during open surgery.
* Lawrence Wargrave- A justice of the judicial system. He is said to sentenced a man to hanging.
* Emily Brent- A school teacher and religious woman. She turned away a young lady from help who later killed herself.
* John Macarthur- A war general. He is said to have sent his wife's lover to die out in the battle field.
* Thomas & Ethel Rogers- The houseworkers for the mansion. The supposedly killed their elderly employer.
* Tony Marston- A young rich stud. He killed a pair of children children driving.

## Adaptations

The original book was adapted into a play in 1942. This play is used for the basis of many film adaptations.

### Films

* And Then There Were None (1945)
* Ten Little Indians (1965)
* Ten Little Indians (1974)
* Ten Little Indians (1989)

### Television

* And Then There Were Fewer (2010)
* And Then There Were None (2015)