Vera Claythorne Character Analysis in And Then There Were None

A schoolteacher who is invited to Soldier Island as a secretary. She is very practical and careful, but she is also a romantic. She fell in love with a man named Hugo while she was employed as a nanny for a young boy, Cyril Hamilton. Cyril's birth took away Hugo's chance at an inheritance and Hugo told Vera at one point that he would marry her if he still had money. Vera therefore allowed Cyril to swim out into the ocean too far and drown. She was not convicted because she swam out after him as if she were trying to save him. Yet Hugo knew the truth, so he went away and never spoke to Vera again. Vera is plagued with this guilt for the rest of her life until, after surviving to the very end of Soldier Island, she hangs herself.

Vera Claythorne Quotes in And Then There Were None

The And Then There Were None quotes below are all either spoken by Vera Claythorne or refer to Vera Claythorne. 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:

The faded blue eyes, shrewd in spite of their age, sized up Lombard. For a moment a judgment showed in them – had there been anyone to read it.

Related Characters: Philip Lombard (speaker), Philip Lombard, Vera Claythorne

Page Number and Citation: 23

Explanation and Analysis:

The sea . . . So peaceful today – sometimes so cruel … The sea that dragged you down to its depth. Drowned … Found drowned … Drowned at sea … Drowned – drowned – drowned …

Related Characters: Vera Claythorne (speaker)

Page Number and Citation: 35

Explanation and Analysis:

Why had Anthony Marston wanted to die? She didn't want to die.
She couldn't imagine wanting to die …
Death was for – the other people …

Related Characters: Vera Claythorne (speaker), Anthony Marston

Page Number and Citation: 89

Explanation and Analysis:

“I know very well that I'm not the murderer, and I don't fancy there's anything insane about you, Vera. You strike me as being one of the sanest most levelheaded girls I've come across. I'd stake my reputation on your sanity.

Related Characters: Philip Lombard (speaker), Vera Claythorne

Page Number and Citation: 168

Explanation and Analysis:

They'd believe her all right. Cyril often told stories. He was an untruthful child. Cyril would know, of course. But that didn't matter … and anyway nothing would go wrong. She'd pretend to swim out after him. But she'd arrive too late … Nobody would ever suspect …
Had Hugo suspected? Was that why he had looked at her in that queer far-off way? … Had Hugo known?

Related Characters: Vera Claythorne (speaker)

Page Number and Citation: 230

Explanation and Analysis:

“But don't you see, he's mad? It's all mad! The whole thing of going by the rhyme is mad! Dressing up the judge, killing Rogers when he was chopping sticks – drugging Mrs. Roberts so that she overslept herself – arranging for a bumble bee when Miss Brent died! It's like some horrible child playing a game. It's all got to fit in.”

Related Characters: Vera Claythorne (speaker), Thomas Rogers, Ethel Rogers, Justice Wargrave

Page Number and Citation: 248

Explanation and Analysis:

“Why did I never see his face properly before? A wolf – that's what it is – a wolf's face … Those horrible teeth …”

Related Characters: Vera Claythorne (speaker), Philip Lombard

Page Number and Citation: 262

Explanation and Analysis:

How very quiet the house was. And yet –it didn't seem like an empty house …
Hugo, upstairs, waiting for her …

Related Characters: Vera Claythorne (speaker)

Page Number and Citation: 268

Explanation and Analysis:

Vera Claythorne Character Timeline in And Then There Were None

The timeline below shows where the character Vera Claythorne appears in And Then There Were None. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

Vera Claythorne is riding the same train in third class and looks over a letter from... (full context)

Details from Vera's past come back: how nice Mrs. Hamilton was to her, Hugo, and Cyril's head bobbing... (full context)

Philip Lombard looks at Vera from across the carriage and thinks her an attractive and practical looking girl. He is... (full context)

...the train station. The guests start to introduce themselves to each other. Lombard remarks to Vera that it seems strange that she is taking up a secretarial post in the middle... (full context)

Vera is brought into her room by Mr. Rogers's wife, Mrs. Rogers who Vera thinks looks... (full context)

Vera thinks that it's strange the Rogers have never seen Mr. Owen. She also thinks that... (full context)

...Anthony Marston comments on the small soldier figurines placed in the middle of the table. Vera points out that they must be connected to the nursery rhyme in her bedroom and... (full context)

Miss Brent and Vera get up and everyone follows them to the drawing room. Vera says that it must... (full context)

Vera explains that she had been a governess to Cyril Hamilton. One day Cyril swam off... (full context)

In her own bed, Vera thinks about Hugo, who said that he couldn't marry her because he didn't have enough... (full context)

Everyone is downstairs for breakfast at nine o'clock. Vera and Lombard had walked up to the summit of the island to look down at... (full context)

Vera and Emily Brent go for a walk to the summit of the island to look... (full context)

Vera asks if this means that Miss Brent believes the others are guilty. Brent says that... (full context)

Vera is horrified by this story but Miss Brent feels no guilt or remorse. She says... (full context)

Miss Brent sits on the porch knitting and Vera avoids her. Wargrave also sits on the porch and when Vera looks at him she... (full context)

Miss Brent comes in and says it looks like a storm is coming. Vera apologizes for coming in late, but Miss Brent responds that General Macarthur still has not... (full context)

...has been eating for a bit Armstrong comes running and shouts that General Macarthur is—and Vera finishes his sentence—“Dead!” (full context)

As the men come back in with Macarthur's body, the storm breaks. Vera goes into the dining room, followed soon after by Rogers. They are both checking the... (full context)

Vera is shocked but Miss Brent believes that Wargrave's theory is true: one of them is... (full context)

Vera asks Lombard to wake her up so she can realize that this is all a... (full context)

Vera says she can't see Lombard as the murderer either. Lombard thinks that it is Wargrave... (full context)

Vera thinks that it is Dr. Armstrong because two of the deaths have both been by... (full context)

They check the dining room where Rogers has laid the table for breakfast. But Vera notices that there are only 6 china figures on the table. (full context)

Afterwards they all discuss the murder and Vera starts laughing crazily. She asks if there are bees on the island and everyone stares... (full context)

Blore comments to Lombard that he finds it suspicious that Vera cracked up and then immediately calmed down, and that Miss Brent always seems utterly calm... (full context)

Vera is in the kitchen making breakfast and scolding herself for becoming hysterical earlier. She starts... (full context)

...all meet in the drawing room in a half an hour to discuss the situation. Vera begins clearing the plates and Miss Brent gets up to help her but feels too... (full context)

Everyone else is in the drawing room waiting for Miss Brent to come in. Vera volunteers to go get her, but Blore asks her to wait a moment, explaining that... (full context)

Vera asks if anyone wants tea and they all decide that they should watch her make... (full context)

It is only 6:20pm but Vera can't handle it anymore so she decides to go upstairs and take a bath. As... (full context)

The men run upstairs as Vera keeps screaming and she opens her eyes so see all the men around her. She... (full context)

All of a sudden Vera asks where Wargrave is. They realize he didn't follow them up the stairs and go... (full context)

Lombard remarks that Wargrave's act of playing court is over. Vera says that just this morning Lombard thought that Wargrave was the murderer. Lombard agrees that... (full context)

...Wargrave's body up to bed, they all stand around the kitchen eating canned tongue mechanically. Vera comments that she will never eat tongue again. (full context)

They go over the fact that the seaweed was planted in Vera's room to get them all up there so they would be distracted. Lombard says that... (full context)

Vera thinks that she could just stay in her room for a day or two until... (full context)

Vera, back in the present, wonders why she felt like Hugo was in the room with... (full context)

There is no answer on Armstrong's door, Lombard responds at once as does Vera. Blore explains to Lombard and they go check on Armstrong's room where they realize that... (full context)

Vera, meanwhile, distracts herself by trying to invent ways that Armstrong could try to trick her.... (full context)

...now is lock up the revolver and both Lombard and Blore can hold a key. Vera says that they are both acting like idiots and have forgotten the rhyme. “Four little... (full context)

But Blore says that they searched the island and Armstrong wasn't there. Vera brings up that they couldn't find the revolver before – everything has fit with the... (full context)

...referencing the next verse, Blore says that there is no zoo on the island. But Vera says “Don't you see? We're the Zoo … Last night, we were hardly human anymore.... (full context)

...on the mainland noticed. They search the island again and see no sign of Armstrong. Vera says she feels safer outside and they agree to stay out of the house for... (full context)

Vera feels almost happy in the sunlight. She feels like she can't die. Blore says he... (full context)

Lombard starts to tell Vera that Blore's story about Armstrong and the footsteps clears both of them, but it doesn't... (full context)

...revolver he is going to take good care that Blore doesn't get them. He asks Vera why she trusts that he won't just shoot her and Vera says that she has... (full context)

Vera says she once heard a story about two judges in a small American town that... (full context)

...white marble shaped like a bear – the one that was on the mantelpiece in Vera's room. (full context)

...in the house and that he is going to go in and find him. But Vera stops Lombard and says that this is probably what Armstrong wants them to do. (full context)

Vera and Lombard slowly look up at each other. They realize that there is no one... (full context)

Lombard says that this is the end. He says it almost with acceptance, but Vera only feels rebellion. She says “Poor Dr. Armstrong.” Vera says that they should carry him... (full context)

As they get him past the reach of the sea, Lombard asks if Vera is satisfied and she says she is. She shows him his revolver, which she took... (full context)

Vera feels relieved. She realizes that she is hungry and sleepy, but mostly sleepy. She walks... (full context)

Vera remembers the last verse of the nursery rhyme “one little soldier boy left all alone;... (full context)

The little china figure rolls out of Vera's hand. She is standing in the place where she was when she felt Cyril's cold... (full context)

...head was split open, Blore's head was crushed, Armstrong drowned, Macarthur's skull was fractured, and Vera was hanged. (full context)

They do have some evidence from the diaries kept on the island by Vera, Emily Brent and some notes by Wargrave and Blore. The death occurred in this order:... (full context)

...that Armstrong's body was dragged above the high water line. Then the people left were Vera, Blore and Lombard. (full context)

...the revolver was found in Wargrave's room with fingerprints on it. Then it seems like Vera could have pushed the statue on Blore, shot Lombard and hung herself. But there is... (full context)

...red mud on his forehead and Armstrong pronounced him dead after all the fuss with Vera screaming in her room. (full context)

...to the house, Wargrave pushed the marble clock onto him. From the window he watched Vera shoot Lombard and then wondered excitedly whether she would play into the stage he set... (full context)

...would she cave to her own guilt? He thought she would and he was right. Vera hanged herself in front of Wargrave's eyes as he hid behind the wardrobe. He then... (full context)

And Then There Were None

Vera Claythorne Character Analysis

Vera Claythorne Quotes in And Then There Were None

Chapter 2 Quotes

Chapter 5 Quotes

Chapter 10 Quotes

Chapter 14 Quotes

Chapter 15 Quotes

Chapter 16 Quotes

Vera Claythorne Character Timeline in And Then There Were None