The Theme Of Deception In And Then There Were None
The Theme of Deception in And Then There Were None
We, as humans, lie to one another and even sometimes ourselves because we are afraid of what others may think of the truth or that we do not want to face the truth because we know and understand ourselves to be very vulnerable. In Agatha Christie’s novel, And Then There Were None, all the characters deceive others and sometimes even themselves. In particular, Vera Claythorne and Lawrence Wargrave, also known as Justice Wargrave, are dishonest with the other members of the group who are trapped on the island.
Firstly, Vera Claythrone is very dishonest to the other persons on the island and at times even herself. For instance, near the end of the novel, Lombard asks her, “So you did drown that kid after all?” (174) and Vera said vehemently: “I didn’t! I didn’t! You’ve no right to say that!” (174). This shows that even when Vera knows that death is coming, she is still not sincere about what she had done. People often lie because they are scared of the truth and do not want to be judged by others. Vera is tormented by her guilt: ““Of course you can, Cyril, really, I know that”...Yes, but supposing it wasn’t? Supposing it went wrong? Cyril might be rescued in time. And then—then [Cyril]’d say, “Miss Claythorne said I could.”” (156)
And Then There Were None, a murder mystery written by Agatha Christie, has a theme of deception which is shown through the characters of the novel. Both Vera Claythorne and Justice Wargrave hide who they truly are, deceiving all the others on the island. One philosophy of life outlined in this literary piece is that humans are dishonest to one another and sometimes themselves because they are scared of what others may think of the truth or they do not want to face the truth because they understand themselves to be sensitive and susceptible in nature.
We, as humans, lie to one another and even sometimes ourselves because we are afraid of what others may think of the truth or that we do not want to face the truth because we know and understand ourselves to be very vulnerable. In Agatha Christie’s novel, And Then There Were None, all the characters deceive others and sometimes even themselves. In particular, Vera Claythorne and Lawrence Wargrave, also known as Justice Wargrave, are dishonest with the other members of the group who are trapped on the island.
Firstly, Vera Claythrone is very dishonest to the other persons on the island and at times even herself. For instance, near the end of the novel, Lombard asks her, “So you did drown that kid after all?” (174) and Vera said vehemently: “I didn’t! I didn’t! You’ve no right to say that!” (174). This shows that even when Vera knows that death is coming, she is still not sincere about what she had done. People often lie because they are scared of the truth and do not want to be judged by others. Vera is tormented by her guilt: ““Of course you can, Cyril, really, I know that”...Yes, but supposing it wasn’t? Supposing it went wrong? Cyril might be rescued in time. And then—then [Cyril]’d say, “Miss Claythorne said I could.”” (156)
And Then There Were None, a murder mystery written by Agatha Christie, has a theme of deception which is shown through the characters of the novel. Both Vera Claythorne and Justice Wargrave hide who they truly are, deceiving all the others on the island. One philosophy of life outlined in this literary piece is that humans are dishonest to one another and sometimes themselves because they are scared of what others may think of the truth or they do not want to face the truth because they understand themselves to be sensitive and susceptible in nature.