Flashcards for And Then There Were None

Anthony Marston

Anthony "Tony" Marston is the first victim in Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None, and his quick demise sets a chilling tone and logic for the novel's main premise.

character

Dr. Edward Armstrong

Dr. Edward Armstrong is a well-respected surgeon in London, but beneath that professional facade lies a haunting secret: he once operated on a patient, Louisa Mary Clees, while drunk, leading to her death on the operating table.

character

Emily Brent

Emily Brent is one of ten strangers invited to Soldier Island in Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None, and she emerges as the most self-righteous member of the group.

character

Ethel Rogers

Ethel Rogers is the cook-housekeeper on Soldier Island, arriving with her husband, Thomas, to serve the enigmatic host, U. N. Owen.

character

General John Macarthur

General John Macarthur is a retired World War I officer and one of the ten guests drawn to Soldier Island in Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None.

character

Isaac Morris

Isaac Morris is a minor yet crucial character in Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None.

character

Justice Lawrence Wargrave

Justice Lawrence Wargrave is the novel's central mystery and its main antagonist—a retired judge whose lifelong fascination with death and justice leads to the intricately planned murders on Soldier Island.

character

Philip Lombard

Philip Lombard is one of the ten strangers drawn to Soldier Island in Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None, and he immediately stands out as a man of action, danger, and moral ambiguity.

character

Thomas Rogers

Thomas Rogers is the butler at Soldier Island, hired alongside his wife Ethel to prepare the remote mansion before the guests arrive.

character

U. N. Owen (Mr. Owen)

U.N. Owen — a name that translates to "Unknown" — is the ghostly architect of And Then There Were None, haunting every death while remaining physically absent for most of the novel.

character

Vera Claythorne

Vera Claythorne stands out as the most psychologically intricate character in the novel and, alongside Justice Wargrave, she plays a crucial role.

character

William Henry Blore

William Henry Blore is a former police detective who has transitioned to a private investigator.

character

“No one would ever know what had happened on Soldier Island.”

This haunting line appears near the end of Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None (1939), serving as an all-knowing narrative comment after all ten guests on Soldier Island have died.

Narrator (omniscient) · Epilogue

“She was never going to get away from this island. None of them were.”

This line comes from Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None (1939), regarded as one of the greatest mystery novels ever.

Narrator (free indirect thought of Vera Claythorne) · Late chapters (approximately Chapter 14–15)

“Justice had been done. The wicked had been punished.”

These chilling words come near the end of Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None (1939), delivered through the perspective — and ultimately the written confession — of Justice Lawrence Wargrave, the mastermind behind the murders on Soldier Island.

Justice Lawrence Wargrave · Epilogue / Wargrave's Confession (final chapter)

“You'll never get off this island. None of you will.”

This chilling declaration comes from And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie, delivered by the hidden killer — ultimately revealed to be Justice Lawrence Wargrave — as part of the psychological terror he orchestrates on Soldier Island.

Justice Lawrence Wargrave (the hidden killer)

“They were all of them guilty. They had all been brought here for that reason.”

This line comes from Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None (1939), spoken through Justice Lawrence Wargrave's confession letter, which we find in the novel's epilogue.

Justice Lawrence Wargrave · Epilogue / Manuscript in a Bottle

“Ten little soldier boys went out to dine; One choked his little self and then there were nine.”

This nursery rhyme, introduced at the beginning of Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None (1939), acts as the novel's core structure and theme.

Nursery Rhyme / Framed Card · Chapter 1

“Guilty — all of them guilty.”

This chilling declaration comes from Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None (1939), delivered by the unseen judge-executioner, Justice Lawrence Wargrave, in his posthumous confession letter at the novel's conclusion.

Justice Lawrence Wargrave · Epilogue (Manuscript in a Bottle)

“I have always been able to impose my will on others.”

This chilling declaration comes from Justice Lawrence Wargrave, the mastermind behind the murders on Soldier Island, as revealed in the manuscript confession discovered at the end of the novel.

Justice Lawrence Wargrave · Epilogue (Manuscript Document)

“It was the perfect murder — or rather, the perfect series of murders.”

This line comes from Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None (1939), which is one of the best-selling mystery novels ever.

Justice Lawrence Wargrave · Epilogue / Manuscript found in a bottle

“Owen... U. N. Owen... Unknown...”

This chilling moment of realization hits when the surviving guests on Soldier Island finally decipher their mysterious host’s name, "U. N. Owen," recognizing it as a deliberate play on the word "Unknown."

One of the surviving guests (commonly attributed to Vera Claythorne or shared realization among survivors)

“He was a very good judge of character — he prided himself on that.”

This line comes from Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None (1939) and is presented by the narrator through free indirect discourse, reflecting the self-view of one of the ten guests, likely Justice Lawrence Wargrave, the retired judge who boards the boat to Soldier Island.

Narrator (reflecting Justice Lawrence Wargrave) · Chapter 1

“The judge had spoken. The sentence had been passed.”

This chilling line appears in Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None (1939), one of the most celebrated mystery novels ever written.

Narrator (reflecting Justice Lawrence Wargrave's perspective) · Epilogue / Wargrave's manuscript confession

Philip Lombard's Revolver

In Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None, Philip Lombard's revolver reflects the unstable balance of power and survival on Soldier Island.

Soldier Island

In Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None, Soldier Island symbolizes unshakeable guilt and divine judgment.

Ten Little Soldier Figurines

In Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None, the ten little soldier figurines on the dining-room table at Soldier Island mark the countdown for the doomed guests.

The Gramophone Recording

In Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None, the gramophone recording represents unavoidable judgment and the voice of a powerful, unseen authority.

The Sea and Isolation

In Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None, the sea around Soldier Island symbolizes the inescapable isolation and entrapment the characters face.

The "Ten Little Soldiers" Nursery Rhyme

In Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None, the "Ten Little Soldiers" nursery rhyme stands as a chilling symbol of inevitable fate and the killer's total control.

Tone

In And Then There Were None, Agatha Christie creates a sense of growing dread that intensifies with each death, making the reader perceive the island's isolation as a psychological trap rather than just a backdrop.

Motif

In Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None, the nursery rhyme "Ten Little Soldiers" (or "Ten Little Indians") acts as the novel's central theme, linking each death to a specific, ritualistic pattern.

Dramatic Irony

In Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None, the nursery rhyme "Ten Little Soldiers" amplifies the dramatic irony as it appears in each guest room on Indian Island.

Suspense

In And Then There Were None, Agatha Christie creates suspense not through action, but through a slow-building dread: each death takes one more character away, and the reader counts along, fully aware that there’s no way off the island.

Foreshadowing

In And Then There Were None, Agatha Christie weaves foreshadowing so intricately that the rising sense of dread in the novel feels almost unavoidable in hindsight.

Imagery

In And Then There Were None, Agatha Christie uses vivid imagery to turn Soldier Island from just a backdrop into a powerful source of dread.

Symbolism

In And Then There Were None, Agatha Christie employs the ten little soldier figures on the dining-room table as a key symbol of inevitable doom.

Unreliable Narrator

In And Then There Were None, Agatha Christie crafts unreliable narration not with a single confessor but through the collective blind spots of ten characters, each with self-serving thoughts that systematically mislead the reader.

Irony

In Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None, irony serves as both a structural force and a source of dread.

per se

By or in itself, without reference to anything else; used here to mean something considered on its own terms, apart from outside factors.

phrase · Chapter 1

bespoke

Custom-made or specially ordered to a particular person's requirements, rather than bought ready-made off the shelf.

adjective · Chapter 1

blighter

A British informal term for a person, usually a man, regarded with mild irritation or contempt, though sometimes used almost affectionately.

noun · Chapter 1

queer

Strange, odd, or unsettling in a way that is hard to explain; used throughout in its older sense of 'peculiar,' not as a term of sexuality.

adjective · Chapter 1

put out

Annoyed or mildly offended by something; feeling inconvenienced or slighted by another person's behaviour.

phrase · Chapter 1

manservant

A male domestic servant employed in a private household, typically performing duties such as waiting at table or attending to a gentleman.

noun · Chapter 2

solicitor

In the British legal system, a lawyer who handles legal paperwork, gives advice, and deals with clients directly, as distinct from a barrister who argues cases in court.

noun · Chapter 1

gramophone

An early mechanical device for playing recorded sound from a disc; the period equivalent of a record player or turntable.

noun · Chapter 3

accused

A person formally charged with a crime; here used in the legal sense of someone whose guilt is being declared or alleged.

noun · Chapter 3

coroner

A public official who investigates deaths that are sudden, violent, or unexplained, and holds an official inquiry called an inquest to determine the cause.

noun · Chapter 4

inquest

A formal legal inquiry, usually conducted by a coroner, to establish the facts surrounding a sudden or suspicious death.

noun · Chapter 4

revolver

A type of handgun with a rotating cylinder holding several cartridges, allowing multiple shots to be fired without reloading.

noun · Chapter 5

hypodermic

Relating to a needle or syringe used to inject substances beneath the skin; here associated with the administration of a drug or poison.

adjective · Chapter 5

sedative

A drug or substance that calms a person, reduces anxiety, and induces drowsiness or sleep.

noun · Chapter 6

mackintosh

A waterproof raincoat, originally made from rubberised fabric; a standard item of British outdoor clothing in the period.

noun · Chapter 7

reproach

An expression of blame, disappointment, or disapproval directed at someone for a fault or failure.

noun · Chapter 8

cynic

A person who believes that people are motivated purely by self-interest and is dismissive of sincerity or idealism in others.

noun · Chapter 8

lethargy

A state of sluggishness, tiredness, and lack of energy or motivation, sometimes caused by fear, illness, or drugs.

noun · Chapter 9

brandish

To wave or flourish a weapon or object in a threatening or dramatic way so that others can clearly see it.

verb · Chapter 10

duplicity

Deliberate deceptiveness in speech or behaviour; saying one thing while intending or doing another.

noun · Chapter 11

exonerate

To officially clear someone of blame or a criminal charge; to declare that a person is not guilty of wrongdoing.

verb · Chapter 12

premeditated

Planned or thought out in advance before being carried out; used in law to indicate that a crime was deliberate rather than impulsive.

adjective · Chapter 13

culpable

Deserving blame or censure for a wrongful act; morally or legally responsible for harm done to another.

adjective · Chapter 14

cogitate

To think deeply and carefully about something; to ponder or reflect at length on a problem or question.

verb · Chapter 15

postscript

An addition or note appended after the main body of a document or letter, often introduced by the abbreviation P.S.

noun · Chapter 16