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Who is Mr. Owen?
Mr. U. N. Owen is the mysterious host who invites each of the characters to Soldier Island. The guests receive invitations of various kinds, each with different supposed connections to Mr. Owen, even though none of them have met the man. They soon deduce that Mr. Owen must be one of the guests themselves, because no one else is on the island with them to commit the murders. At the end of the book, we learn that U. N. Owen, or “unknown,” is Judge Wargrave acting under a false name. In fact, Wargrave hired a man named Isaac Morris—whom Wargrave subsequently killed—to buy the island and sneakily invite each of the guests.
What gives Soldier Island its reputation of mystery?
Soldier Island was previously owned by an eccentric American millionaire, Elmer Robson. He had a reputation for elaborate, unconventional parties, and he does not seem to have been much liked by the locals of Devon. The island made its way into larger news when Elmer Robson sold it to an unknown buyer. The papers heightened the intrigue by speculating about the buyer’s identity and reason for purchasing the island. For the characters of And Then There Were None, the identity of their host is the key to understanding why they are summoned to Soldier Island. The fascination of the press with Soldier Island only heightens their own questions. It is also this mystery which later keeps the locals from responding to distress signals or any signs that something on the island might be amiss.
How does Justice Wargrave die?
Justice Wargrave appears to be shot while all the other characters check on Vera in her room. He is trussed up in stolen items to look like a judge in court, and he has an apparent bullet wound on his forehead. At the end of the novel, we learn that this death was staged, and Dr. Armstrong conspires with Wargrave to make him appear dead so they can spy on the “real” murderer. Wargrave himself turns out to be the one killing the other guests, but he does so unsuspected when the others think him dead. When he has finished his manuscript detailing the murders, Wargrave makes a spring-loaded contraption to shoot himself in the forehead and fling the gun away from himself so he will appear innocent.
Why is General Macarthur relieved he will not go home?
After Anthony Marston and Mrs. Rogers die, General Macarthur understands that he will likely die on the island. He is frightened at first, but he quickly realizes it means he will not have to face all the worries, shame, and loneliness he feels at home. After losing his wife, Macarthur feels he has lost everything of value to him. He tells Vera she has not lived long enough with regret to understand what a daily burden it is to him. Rather than learn or grow from his mistakes, Macarthur festers with them, and he begins to see death as a just punishment.
Why is Vera Claythorne the last to die?
Wargrave explains in his confession that he killed each member of the house in order of how guilty he perceived them to be. Anthony Marston dies first because Wargrave does not think him capable of understanding, and therefore feeling, his guilt. Vera, at the opposite end of the spectrum, intentionally sent Cyril to his death to give her beau, Hugo, the family inheritance. Wargrave learns of her guilt directly from Hugo, and he not only hears the story of her motive, but he also sees the grief Hugo experiences from Vera’s actions. To Wargrave’s mind, this makes her more guilty than even Philip Lombard, who left 21 people to die in Africa.
