And Then There Were None

“Nerves! The doctor’s eyebrows went up. These women and their nerves! Well, it was good for business after all. Half the women who consulted him had nothing the matter with them but boredom, but they wouldn’t thank you for telling them so! And one could usually find something.”

Gender plays a significant role in the novel. The men on the island reduce women to stereotypes throughout the novel, often claiming women are naturally prone to hysterics or mania. Ironically, the last person left standing on the island (aside from Justice Wargrave) is Vera, one of two women on the island.

‘“Watch and pray,’ he said. ‘Watch and pray. The day of judgment is at hand.’”

The old man who sits across from Blore in the carriage foreshadows the danger that will unfold on Soldier Island. The phrase “the day of judgment” provides a clue into who “Mr. Owen” really is, Mr. Justice Lawrence Wargrave, who will not be revealed as the main antagonist until the very end of the novel.

“She had pictured it differently, close to shore, crowned with a beautiful white house. But there was no house visible, only the boldly silhouetted rock with its faint resemblance to a giant head. There was something sinister about it. She shivered faintly.”

The ominous appearance of Soldier Island is another instance of foreshadowing. Vera notes that the island feels “sinister,” an early hint at the evil that will unfold on the island over the course of the novel. The rock that is shaped like a giant head symbolizes that the elaborate murder mystery that will soon take place was crafted by the mind of one man alone.