A biography on John Lawrence Wargrave from Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None

Lawrence John Wargrave, sane... or insane? Many people would think Wargrave, "the hanging judge." (Christie 262) as insane, but the truth is he was perfectly sane. His choices were made thinking they were logical, though some weren't. His age and occupation was affecting his judgment and he thought of himself as the only one who could inflict justice to those outside laws reach. He chose his ten victims by talking to people, and asking the right questions to people he met or knew. He was so obsessed with is "justice" he swayed to the dark side looking for vengeance. This vengeance was for those they had killed, and were outside laws arms.

He started planning as soon as he started to think he "wanted to kill..."(263). Wargrave wanted to "commit a murder"(263), but "The innocent must not suffer"(263) so he made sure this happened. After his first victim was chosen, "A childish rhyme of my infancy came back into my mind"(264), this was the start of his plot, as him, the mastermind, and the puppeteer.

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He lured his victims to the island by sending letters or wires, apparently sent by friends, colleagues, or old acquaintances. Inevitable... their deaths were inevitable, all life has an end, but Wargrave wanted to take it step further... he wanted them to suffer accordingly for their misdoings. Wargrave hated criminals and took "no pleasure"(263) in seeing an innocent man in his court room, but he loved to "...see a wretched criminal squirming..."(262), he has to "...protect the jury..."(263) from emotional appeals and good impressions, the jury's job is to determine who was guilty, and who was innocent, Wargrave made sure this occurred.

Wargrave's judgment in the courtroom slowly slid... he didn't recognize his pleasure in inflicting death as he used to before...