A general in World War I, he is the oldest guest on the island and is suspected of intentionally sending a lieutenant, Arthur Richmond, to his death. Macarthur did this when he learned that Richmond was having an affair with his wife. Macarthur's guilty conscience has always left him with the feeling that his fellow veterans know about his dark past and he separated himself from his Army friends after the war ended. His wife also died soon after the war and he has been lonely and weary since then. Once he gets to Soldier Island, he realizes that he is tired of life and the effort that it takes to live with his secret, and is ready to die.
General John Gordon Macarthur Quotes in And Then There Were None
The And Then There Were None quotes below are all either spoken by General John Gordon Macarthur or refer to General John Gordon Macarthur. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Chapter 5
Quotes
He thought: Best of an island is once you get there – you can't go any farther … you've come to the end of things …
He knew, suddenly, that he didn't want to leave the island.
Related Characters:
General John Gordon Macarthur (speaker)
Related Symbols:
The Island
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 6
Quotes
We're not going to leave the island … None of us will ever leave … It's the end, you see – the end of everything …”
He hesitated, then he said in a low strange voice:
“That's peace – real peace. To come to the end – not to have to go on … Yes, peace …”
Related Characters:
General John Gordon Macarthur (speaker)
Related Symbols:
The Island
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
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General John Gordon Macarthur Character Timeline in And Then There Were None
The timeline below shows where the character General John Gordon Macarthur appears in And Then There Were None. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 1
General Macarthur, in another train car, thinks about the trip he's on to Soldier Island, where he...
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Chapter 2
General Macarthur decides he wants to leave the island, but the motorboat has left so he'll have...
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Chapter 4
General Macarthur explains that he sent a man, Arthur Richmond, on a reconnaissance mission during the War...
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Chapter 5
General Macarthur cannot fall asleep because he keeps thinking of Richmond. Macarthur had loved his wife, Leslie,...
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Macarthur wonders whether anyone believed the accusation and then thinks that it is impossible that the...
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Chapter 6
...shim about 7 or 8am, but that it is now 9:50am. Everyone is silent until Macarthur all of a sudden tells Rogers that he is sorry to hear about his wife.
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...arriving. Blore thinks that it is not an accident that it hasn't come and then Macarthur jumps in the conversation and says that the boat will never come. He continues by...
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Chapter 8
...ends up being quite simple. Towards the end of their search they run into General Macarthur looking at the sea. He pays no attention to them and looks rather dazed. Macarthur...
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...a death sentence upon Edward Seton. Vera goes down to the sea where she meets Macarthur. Macarthur tells her that he is waiting for the end, and that none of them...
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Macarthur says that he loved his wife Leslie very much and then admits that this is...
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...Lombard has gone to test some theory. Armstrong tells Blore that he is worried that Macarthur has gone crazy. Blore agrees, but says that doesn't mean that Macarthur is the murderer....
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Chapter 9
...storm is coming. Vera apologizes for coming in late, but Miss Brent responds that General Macarthur still has not come. Armstrong volunteers to go get Macarthur when Vera says he is...
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After everyone has been eating for a bit Armstrong comes running and shouts that General Macarthur is—and Vera finishes his sentence—“Dead!”
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As the men come back in with Macarthur's body, the storm breaks. Vera goes into the dining room, followed soon after by Rogers....
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Armstrong says that Macarthur was killed by being hit with a life preserver. Wargrave now takes over the conversation....
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Chapter 10
...two of the deaths have both been by poison. And she thinks that he killed Macarthur when he went down to call him to lunch. She also says that he is...
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...her Bible but then puts it down and writes in her diary. She writes that Macarthur has been killed and that the judge has convinced her that the murderer is in...
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Epilogue 1
...an overdose of chloral, Rogers head was split open, Blore's head was crushed, Armstrong drowned, Macarthur's skull was fractured, and Vera was hanged.
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Epilogue 2
...his victims. He heard about Armstrong while at a nursing home. He heard about General Macarthur from a conversation with two old military gossips in his Club. He selected Marston from...
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Macarthur did not hear Wargrave sneak up behind him and his death was quite painless. Wargrave...
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