Khawaja 1

Adeel Khawaja

Ms. Starry

Period 1

20 September 2016

Mr. Justice Wargrave

In And then there were None some of the characters in the book were

examples of stock characters. Stock characters are flat, static stereotypes we

recognize because we have seen the type of character in other fictional

novels or works. One good example of a stock character which was in And

then there were None was Mr. Justice Wargrave. He was a judge, but also

liked to kill. He was the one who was killing the ten people on the island

including himself.

Mr. Justice Wargrave contributed a lot to the overall message of the

novel. In the beginning of the novel Mr. Justice Wargrave was thought to be a

wise man. There were times on the island when he knew something the

others didnt. One example of this was when he said, It is perfectly clear, Mr.

Owen is one of us(Cristie 150). And after he said that the people on the

island had become suspicious of each other which helps contribute to the

overall message of the novel. He could also take control of the situation.

When everyones names and the accusations were announced he took

control of the situation. He had learned to do this because he was a judge

and was used to having a lot of authority. An example of this was when
Lambard was saying, Look here, Ive just thought of something- The judge

lifted a hand. In a minute-(Cristie 58-59). In this quote he stopped him from

talking because he has authority and

Khawaja 2

knew how to take control of a situation. But the biggest way he contributed

to the overall message of the novel was inviting the ten people to Soldier

Island and killing most of the people including himself. He tricked everyone

into thinking that he wasnt Mr. Owen. He did this by tricking Dr. Armstrong

into helping him fake his death. And then after everyone was dead he kills

himself. The people who read the book could recognize him easily. He was a

judge and a person who liked to kill. These characteristics were familiar to

the reader because they have most probably seen these types of

characteristics before in another fictional novel for another character.

Because of these facts he is not only a great contribution to the overall

message of the novel but a stock character as well.

In this novel there were many characters that contributed to the

overall message of the story and were good examples of stock characters.

But the one that stood out was Mr. Justice Wargrave. He had invited them to

the island to punish them for the crimes they had committed which the law

couldnt touch. He was disguised as one of the guests and was killing them

one by one. These facts show how he contributed a lot to the message of the

novel. And because he was a judge and a murderer he is a stock character

because the reader can easily recognize his characteristics from other

characters in other fictional books or novels. All these facts prove that he

contributed to the overall message of the novel and that he is a stock

character.

Works Cited

Cristie, Agatha. And then there were None. : G. P. Putnams Sons,

1939.