And Then There Were None By Agatha Christie: Blaming Others

“Fear, what a strange thing fear was” In Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None, there is no doubt that every character had their weaknesses, but to all appearances, these weaknesses were magnified in certain people. Doctor Armstrong, Detective Blore, and Philip Lombard show humankind's impulsive need to blame others without rational thought in times of difficulties. And although each character has certain strengths that contribute greatly to the story, they are clearly overshadowed by their shortcomings.

What a strange being Doctor Armstrong was. While being a well-respected doctor, known for his luck and commendable practices in the operating room, he still struggled to think thoroughly during the troublesome times that happened on Soldier Island. He acted on impulse many times throughout the story, but the most notable time is when he decided to take the risk and help Wargrave fake his death. This was the fatal, impulsive mistake that lead to his very own demise. As written by Wargrave on page 294 in the epilogue, “He was a gullible sort of man, he knew me by sight and reputation and it was inconceivable to him that a man of my standing should actually be a murderer!” Armstrong failed to think through how unreasonable the offer he was given was, and didn’t question or second guess his decision until he was pushed from the cliff and fell to his death. This action was a consequence purely of blame. While he wasn’t quick to pass the blame of the murderer, he was quick to exonerate people. More specifically, based on the small knowledge he had: their occupations. This is the exact reason he didn’t imagine Lawrence could be the murderer, despite the fact all nine of then had the same likelihood of being the man-at-large. With these reasons, Doctor Armstrong is one of the worst on Soldier Island to investigate a murderer, but the best to help accomplish one.

As a detective, you’d think he’d be the man for the job in this island murder-mystery, but with that assumption you’d be wrong. Detective Blore’s deliberations worsened the further into the story you got. In chapter 15, when only four people are left on the island, the calamitous idea comes to his mind that, since the others refuse to go back to the house, he should go back for food alone. His lack of dexterity and selfish mindset directly lead him to his death, when Lawrence smashed a marble clock over his head, killing him instantaneously. Similarly, his selfishness made him look even worse, especially when trying to find the murderer. His mentality was to stop everything and pass the blame by pointing out minor problems in others, only making people believe him less. In declaring Lombard as crazy by carrying the missing revolver (despite having no evidence towards this) to directly after, when he tells everyone he is sure of Emily being the murderer, he is sure to throw out any seemingly suspicious individual’s name. This demonstrates how William Blore is a character that is all over the place, especially when trying to investigate a murderer.

While everyone of these characters is full of impurities, but the worst character in this sense is Mr. Philip Lombard himself. If we’re comparing how impulsive these three characters are, by far Lombard wins. Its described (on pg. 264) at the end of the book, “All his life Lombard had taken the risky way. He took it now. ” Instead of trying to talk Vera into handing him the gun and figuring out the real murderer, he decides argumentatively speak to her and jump towards the gun. Out of self defense, Vera immediately pulls the trigger. He believes that simply talking things out and trying to vindicate for himself is never the way, as he’d always rather take the jeopardous way to solve a problem. Although Philip may be the most impetuous person in the book, he wasn’t as prominent in the aspect of blaming others. Although he often switched who he believed was the murderer, he never was as outspoken or crazy about deliberately bringing it up, as opposed to Doctor Armstrong and Detective Blore. But don’t let this one clever aspect of his role in the book change your opinion of him, because he is the most cocky, morally depraved out of them all.

With every considerably flawed character in And Then There Were None, there’s no doubt that certain individuals have quite a bit more serious flaws. Armstrong, Blore, and Lombard prove how humanity truly looks for ways to pass off the blame on problems, and act highly on impulse as opposed to rational thought. With the lack of deliberation on Soldier Island’s peculiar circumstances, its not surprising to know that Wargrave could effortlessly seek revenge on the nine bodies, and use them as pawns in his sick game of murder.