And Then There Were None Justice

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” This quote, said by Martin Luther King Junior, shows the main theme of Agatha Christie’s signature novel, And Then There Were None: justice. Justice Wargrave, the murderer, clearly felt threatened in this way. He was determined to avenge evildoers so he did what he wanted to do. In his letter, Justice Wargrave explains his reason for what he did. Wargrave, one of the ten, had a deep passion for killing ever since he was born. Aside from that, he had contradictory trait the pervaded throughout him: justice. He chose a law profession because it satisfied both of these appetites. Diagnosed with a terminable disease later on in his life, he was determined to commit a mass murder before he died. Mr. Wargrave didn’t want to murder innocent people so during his spare time, while not presiding over a court, he collected information about people who killed others and could not be punished by the law. These people were the ones who were invited to Soldier Island. In this story, Justice Wargarve acts as a vigilante. A vigilante is any person who takes the law into his or her own hands, as by avenging a crime. Justice has several definitions. One is the administering of deserved punishment or reward. Another one is the quality of being fair and reasonable. In the mind of Wargrave, everyone on the island deserved the punishment of death. Emily Brent wouldn’t allow Beatrice Taylor back in her house after she got pregnant. Beatrice Taylor then felt guilty and abandoned so she committed suicide. Although Emily Brent did not physically harm her, Justice Wargrave found her guilty. Dr. Armstrong operated, while intoxicated, on a patient and she ended up dying. This was a careless act by Armstrong but it was not a intentional one; yet, he was still found guilty by the judge. These deaths are truly the main theme of death. Another theme of justice in the story is the fact the Justice Wargrave had to kill himself. Yes, it is true that he had the intention of fairness, but he still killed 10 human beings. I do not consider that just. Another example I found concerns Vera Claythorne. Intent on living with Hugo for the rest of her life, she let Cyril attempt to swim out to the rock and he drowned. Vera pretended that she tried to save him, but when Hugo looked into her eyes, he saw the truth and knew that all Vera wanted to do was be with him. Hugo then left Vera. Hugo probably didn’t see it this way, but it was an act of justice. Vera deserved that punishment. You can call it mad. You can call it twisted. You can even call it insane. No matter what, the actions of Justice Wargrave emphasized the major theme of justice in this story.