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Setting
Definition of Simile
A simile is a figure of speech that directly compares two unlike things. To make the comparison, similes most often use the connecting words "like" or "as," but can also... read full definition
A simile is a figure of speech that directly compares two unlike things. To make the comparison, similes most often use the connecting words "like... read full definition
A simile is a figure of speech that directly compares two unlike things. To make the comparison, similes most often... read full definition
Chapter 2
Explanation and Analysis—Like a Panther:
Christie uses a simile and metaphor that compare Philip Lombard to a panther in one of many instances in which she characterizes him using the language of a predatory cat. As the guests on Soldier Island are called to dinner, the narrator states:
As the gong sounded, Philip Lombard came out of his room and walked to the head of the stairs. He moved like a panther, smoothly and noiselessly. There was something of the panther about him altogether. A beast of prey—pleasant to the eye. He was smiling to himself. A week—eh? He was going to enjoy that week.
Mr. Rogers bangs a gong in order to inform the various guests to Soldier Island that dinner has been served. While some of the guests linger hesitantly in their bedrooms, the bold Philip Lombard, a mercenary or “soldier of fortune,” confidently strides to the dining room, moving “like a panther, smoothly and noiselessly.” The narrator further develops this sense that there is something panther-like about Lombard, describing him as a “beast of prey” who is “pleasant to the eye.” Throughout the novel, Christie makes many references to panthers and other predatory animals in her characterization of Lombard, who is attractive and physically powerful but also dangerous.
Explanation and Analysis—Like a Shadow :
Christie uses a simile that compares the timid Mrs. Ethel Rogers, who serves as housekeeper and cook on the island, to a “shadow” in a scene in which schoolmistress Vera Claythorne asks Mrs. Rogers about the surprisingly low number of staff on the island:
Mrs. Rogers said: “I’m a good cook and Rogers is handy about the house. I didn’t know, of course, that there was to be such a large party.”
Vera said: “But you can manage?”
“Oh yes, Miss, I can manage. If there’s to be large parties often perhaps Mrs. Owen could get extra help in.”
Vera said, “I expect so.”
Mrs. Rogers turned to go. Her feet moved noiselessly over the ground. She drifted from the room like a shadow.
In this scene, Vera attempts to better understand the unusual domestic setup in the mansion where she has recently been employed as a secretary. Mrs. Rogers does not have much information to share, having only recently been hired herself, but she nevertheless insists that she and her husband will be able to take care of the guests’ needs. In describing her as exiting the room “like a shadow,” Christie emphasizes her professionalism as a housekeeper, who was expected to be silent and unobtrusive. However, Christie’s simile also highlights Mrs. Rogers’s apprehensive and faint-hearted nature, which likely stems from her feelings of guilt surrounding the suspicious death of her former employer.
Related Themes:
Chapter 4
Explanation and Analysis—Like a Detective Story:
Anthony Marston uses a simile that ironically compares the situation on Soldier Island to a “detective story” due to the mysterious absence of their host, Mr. Owen, and a gramophone recording that accuses the guests of a series of murders. The narrator describes the comments of Justice Wargrave, who proposes that they all leave the island as soon as possible, and Marston, who is, in contrast, excited by the surprising turn of events:
“Then in my opinion it would be well if we all left tomorrow morning as soon as Narracott’s boat arrives.”
There was a chorus of agreement with only one dissentient voice. It was Anthony Marston who disagreed with the majority.
“A bit unsporting, what?” he said. “Ought to ferret out the mystery before we go. Whole thing’s like a detective story. Positively thrilling.”
The judge said acidly: “At my time of life, I have no desire for ‘thrills’ as you call them.”
Anthony said with a grin: “The legal life’s narrowing! I’m all for crime! Here’s to it.”
Though Wargrave feels that it might be dangerous to stay on the island, Marston feels that it would be “unsporting” to leave before they have solved the “mystery” posed by their unknown host. In a simile, he describes their enigmatic and sensational circumstances as being “like a detective story,” which he finds “positively thrilling.” There is a pointed sense of irony in his use of this simile, as And Then There Were None is in fact an example of mystery or “detective” fiction. Marston's comment, then, is surprisingly astute.
Chapter 13
Explanation and Analysis—Bestial Types:
The narrator uses a series of similes and metaphors that compare the surviving guests to various animals as they abandon social etiquette and openly express their mutual suspicion:
And all of them, suddenly, looked less like human beings. They were reverting to more bestial types. Like a wary old tortoise, Mr. Justice Wargrave sat hunched up, his body motionless, his eyes keen and alert. Ex-Inspector Blore looked coarser and clumsier in build. His walk was that of a slow padding animal [...] Philip Lombard’s senses seemed heightened, rather than diminished. His ears reacted to the slightest sound. His step was lighter and quicker, his body was lithe and graceful. And he smiled often, his lips curling back from his long white teeth. Vera Claythorne [...] was like a bird that has dashed its head against glass [...]
Earlier, the guests had carefully maintained social propriety in order to exert a sense of normalcy despite their difficult circumstances. As more guests are killed, however, their strained nerves reach breaking point, and they abandon politeness, reverting to a “bestial” or animal-like state. The narrator describes the cautious Justice Wargrave as being “like a wary old tortoise,” and Blore is characterized as “a slow padding animal.” Lombard is, here and throughout the novel, described in the language of a predatory cat, and the overwhelmed Vera is “like a bird that has dashed its head against glass.” These various similes and metaphors repeatedly invoke animals, suggesting that, under duress, people eschew good manners and return to a more natural state in order to survive.
