It’s hard to imagine anything better than a holiday on an idyllic island. Or so 10 people thought. And Then There Were None is a story about 10 people who are sent to an island to commit crimes that are beyond the comprehension of regular people. They have all killed someone in some way. These 10 people are taken to the island and left there for their deaths, one after another.
Agatha Christie’s novel And Then There Were None describes Philip Lombard as the most despicable person. General Macarthur was also named because of his selfish acts. Emily Brent however, on the other hand, was not a murderer, which is what the others were. It was due to the efforts of all on the island that justice was served. Philip Lombard was, without doubt, the most selfish of all the islanders. The gramophone recorded was played to reveal why each of the island’s residents were exiled. The gramophone stated, “Philip Lombard said that you were guilty on February 1, 1932 of twenty-one people, members from a West African Tribe.” He then raided the tribe and stole twenty-one more men. He took everything and left them to die, instead of taking only what he needed. Lombard treated them like objects. It was selfish to take their lives. He could have saved their lives. Philip Lombard’s self-centeredness is also shown in the way he thought about Vera Claythorne upon first seeing her. Lombard didn’t view Vera Claythorne in the same way he did about Philip Lombard. He only thought about how he could make money with her. As with the African tribes, he only considered her an object in his own court. Lombard displayed his selfishness in hiding his revolver. Blore called him out and said that he knew of a murderer. Lombard continued to conceal his revolver so he could keep it from other islanders. Lombard used his revolver to gain an advantage over the other residents. He didn’t hide his revolver as he was in the same boat with everyone else. He was there because he had murdered people, except Emily Brent.
Philip Lombard, like General Macarthur, was selfish. General Macarthur was a selfish man who knew how to lead another man to their death. The gramophone blared and stated that Macarthur, a selfish man, had sent Arthur Richmond to his demise on the island. General Macarthur wrongly killed Richmond to gain personal advantage against his wife. He took the life of someone he loved and took it away from them all.
General Macarthur took his wife’s house out of self-interest. General Macarthur says that his wife became distant and sickly after he killed her lover. She died three to four years later from double pneumonia. His wife fell ill and gave up on herself because she believed she was no longer worthy of her true love. General Macarthur was selfish and took his wife’s boyfriend away. He was also selfish for not telling his wife what had happened, “Leslie wasn’t aware.” General Macarthur gave his wife permission to fall away and also allowed her to die. He didn’t tell her, it was selfish. She did not deserve to get treated that way. She did not deserve to be considered a pawn.
General Macarthur, a self-serving and deceitful man, was
Emily Brent was not responsible for the suicide of a young girl. Vera and Emily Brent walk to talk and Vera discovers why Emily Brent is there. Emily Brent states, “Naturally we didn’t have her spend any time under our roof.” No one will ever say that I condoned inmorality.” Emily Brent was clearly more concerned about what other people thought about her as an individual than she was about the general welfare of others. Emily Brent was worthy to die for the chance to save a young girl’s lives. She didn’t because she thought others would be too accepting of such behavior. Her death was not necessary, as she didn’t actually kill anyone. Vera talked to Emily about her decision to kill herself. Emily Brent clearly believed she was being a good young lady and would have behaved better. This girl was not her intention. Emily Brent believed the young girl had been immoral, and she had every reason to believe so. She was just sticking to her beliefs.
Emily Brent wasn’t worthy of death because, according to the law, “She took herself out of this world.” This means that Emily Brent had no control over her actions, and that the girl was responsible for her death. Emily Brent didn’t harm the girl physically, just like the rest of islanders. She didn’t kill anyone. Instead, she stuck to her personal beliefs. The girl also committed a “sin,” which was against Emily Brents beliefs. When she did something “immoral”, Emily Brent was the one who brought down hell. She did not deserve to be killed.
Philip Lombard’s selfishness and deceitfulness on the island were evident in the lives taken and the selfish actions they took against other residents. Emily Brent is the least guilty of murder because she didn’t commit any crime. Sticking to your beliefs and morals is not a crime.
