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Kaylee Heiny
Cox
6
21 September 2014
Vera Claythrone Was Not Who She Said She Was
The novel And Then There Were None by Agatha Christe, is a mystery book where ten
people go to an island, and they all die because they are guilty of murder, but no one knows
about it. All of the characters conceal and expose different aspects of their personality. Vera
Claythrone did the same, but it was very interesting what she did keep to herself. Even from the
first chapter she was perceived very differently then she would be if her true colors were to show.
Claythrone only exposed some aspects of her personality because she wanted to be considered as
normal which in turn caused her to conceal a lot about her personality, and what she did can
teach people on others and how much they withhold from others.
Most of Veras identity was not .revealed to the other ten characters on the island, but she
did reveal a little part of it. She let all of the characters know that she was a school teacher, and
that she came to the island for a secretary job. That is stated in this quote: Being a games
mistress in a third-class school isnt much of a catch If only I could get a job at some decent
school, (p. 3). Another aspect of her personality is that she has been guilty and full of regret
since she killed Cyril, but she did not let any of the characters know. Every time the book
showed the reader Veras thoughts, which was quite often, it was always about the incident.
Evidence of this is: Cyrils head, bobbing up and down, swimming to the rockonly to surely
she wouldnt be in time (p. 4) and You can go to the rock, Cyril (p.222). Her identity

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also includes her insanity created because Hugo, her love, left her when he found out that his
nephew Cyril was intentionally sent out to the rock to die by Vera. All she ever thinks about is
him, and proof of that is: Hugo who had said he loved herShe must not think of Hugo
(p.4) and Hugo was there to see she did what she had to do, (p. 222). Even though these were
such huge aspects of her personality, she only exposed some of it.
Vera Claythrone exposed some aspects of her personality, but to be able to conceal most
of her personality she made up some traits of her identity. Most of the characters truly believed
that she was just a little off because she felt bad that someone let him go out to the rock, but in
reality that was not the case. Also, everyone believed that she was definitely not the murderer
and that she was a nice normal person little did they know that she was mentally insane.
Lombard even clearly states that here: and I dont fancy that theres anything insane about
you, Vera, (p.137). Along with that, no one believed that she was responsible for the death of
Cyril. Right after she was accused of murder she tells her story which is stated here: He was
forbidden to swim out far. One day, when my attention was distracted, he started offI couldnt
get there in time It was awful and a paragraph later the General says Of course its not
true. Fellow is a madman. (p.53-54). The only true character trait of her personality that she
revealed was her fear of her fate and more precisely, death. Vera thought in her mind that she
wasnt ready and this is stated here: She didnt want to die. She couldnt imagine wanting to
die Death was for- the other people, (p.72). Even though everyone thought they knew who
she was, there are some things she would always keep hidden.
Vera Claythrone concealed most of her personality from the whole world so that she
could be normal. One of the most important event or trait that she concealed from the rest of the
characters was the fact that she killed Cyril. She kept it a secret from everyone that she killed an

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innocent little boy because she wanted to be with Hugo and for him to be rich. It states that here:
Horrid whiny spolit little brat, if it werent for him, Hugo would be rich able to marry the girl
he loved (p. 178). Because of this she became insane because Hugo left her when he found
out that she killed his nephew. The reader knows that she is mentally insane because all she
thinks about every second of every day, she lives her life according to it, she thought that a piece
of seaweed was Cyrils hand, and she hung herself because she thought that was what Hugo
would have wanted. This also tells the reader that she carried that guilty burden forever because
of her actions and thoughts, and she was so scared that people would judge her she never spoke
of it or told anyone. Just learning about Vera Claythrone can teach us all a valuable lesson.
A serious life lesson on human themselves and how they think and act can be taught by
just reading about Vera. The reader can learn that everyone is a little insane in their own way,
and everybody has certain things that they are so passionate about that they would take their own
life or someone elses if it stood in their way. In this case Veras passion was love, and she took
Cyrils life to try to achieve her goal and then she ended up taking her own life. Someone can
also learn that people arent always the way that they seem or appear to be. Lombard is guilty of
assuming Veras innocence, and this happens here: You strike me as being one of the most
level-headed girls Ive come across, (p. 137). This then leads to the point that no one ever
knows someones true personality. Veras outside appearance and acting was nothing like her
insane and passionate self.
And Then There Were None is a fantastic novel by Agatha Christie that was not only a
mystery, but something that taught lessons about our personality and how others perceive things.
All of the ten characters in the novel exposed and concealed different aspects of their personality
or identity which in turn teaches the reader a lesson. Vera Claythrone concealed more of her

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identity and personality than any other character, and she only exposed fake traits or traits that no
one would know that would be crucial for someone to determine the personality of her which
explains a valuable lesson that no one knows exactly what everyones true identity is.

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Works Cited
Christe, Agatha. And Then There Were None. New York: HarperCollins, 2011. Print.