While the ones who do not own up to their
crimes feel the guiltiest, no such correlation exists between levels
of guilt and likelihood of survival. Conscience has no bearing on
who lives the longest, as is illustrated by the contrast between
the last two characters left alive, Lombard and Vera. Lombard feels
no guilt, and the air of doom that enshrouds the island doesn’t
affect him. Vera, on the other hand, is so guilt-ridden that she
ends her life by succumbing to the seemingly inevitable conclusion
of the “Ten Little Indians” poem and the aura of almost supernatural
vengeance that pervades the novel.
The Danger of Reliance on Class Distinctions
And Then There Were None takes place
in 1930s Britain, a society stratified into
strict social classes. These distinctions play a subtle but important
role in the novel. As the situation on the island becomes more and
more desperate, social hierarchies continue to dictate behavior,
and their persistence ultimately makes it harder for some characters
to survive. Rogers continues to perform his butler’s duties even
after it becomes clear that a murderer is on the loose, and even
after the murderer has killed his wife. Because it is expected of a
man of his social class, Rogers washes up after people, remains downstairs
to clean up after the others have gone to bed, and rises early in
the morning to chop firewood. The separation from the group that
his work necessitates makes it easy for the murderer to kill him.
Additionally, the class-bound mentality of Dr. Armstrong proves
disastrous for himself and others, as he refuses to believe that a
respectable professional man like Wargrave could be the killer.
