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| “ | We're not going to leave this island... None of us will ever leave... It's the end, you see - the end of everything... | „ |
| ~ General MacArthur to Vera Claythorne shortly before his death. |
General John Gordon MacArthur, often referred to as The General or MacArthur, is an anti-villainous antagonist from Agatha Christie's 1939 murder mystery novel And Then There Were None.
MacArthur is one of the ten people summoned to Soldier Island off the Devon coast by U.N. Owen (later revealed to be Lawrence Wargrave). Although he does not know any of the other inhabitants, MacArthur alongside the seven other guests and two staff members was accused of killing somebody in a way that the law either could not prove or legally punish him for. It is later confirmed that MacArthur is guilty of this accusation.
Despite this, the General is shown to be a generally nice and overall tragic character. He is haunted by the shadows of the past and is one of the few characters, if not the only one, to genuinely regret what he did.
He played by the late British actor Sir C. Aubrey Smith in the 1945 film and by New Zealand actor Sam Neill in the 2015 miniseries, who also played the adult Damien Thorn in The Omen III: The Final Conflict, the Monster/Mark in Possession, Charles Bromley in Daybreakers, Dr. William Weir in Event Horizon, and Mr. McGregor in Peter Rabbit.
Biography[]
Background[]
John Gordon MacArthur was born in Great Britain some point late 1800's. Although he spent most of his life working for the British Army, at some point before 1914, John married a young woman called Leslie, who was many years younger than himself. Despite the age gap, Leslie meant the world to John. Although the book (and subsequent adaptations) does not state if the MacArthur's had any children, it is made very clear that John loved Leslie very much and doted on her.
When World War I broke out in 1914, John, like many men from across the country was called to service. Over the course of the next four years, John served with distinction on the front line, as a general. His feats earnt him great renown amongst his fellow officers and he returned home, following the armistice, a celebrated hero.
However, it was during these dark days that John MacArthur discovered a terrible secret. One that would lead him to commit a vile act. An act that would haunt him for the rest of his life.
Murder on 14th January 1917[]
| “ | John Gordon MacArthur, that on the 14th of January 1917, you sent your wife's lover, Arthur Richmond to his death. | „ |
| ~ U.N.Owens accusation |
In January 1917, John's fellow officers noticed a change in his demeanor. They put aside their concerns however, since such behavioural changes were not unheard of given the stressful nature of their current situation. What nobody knew however, was that John MacArthur's world had been turned upside down by a letter from his wife. Although initially happy to receive the correspondance, as he continued to read, the general realised that the message was not intended for him. From the text, John MacArthur discovered that Leslie had been cheating on him with a family friend called Arthur Richmond. This was only made possible because Leslie, who had been writing to the two men in secret, had accidentally placed this most recent correspondence into the envelope addressed to John.
The revelation was especially hurtful to John because he was the one that had introduced Leslie to Arthur in the first place. He had frequently seen the pair chatting animatedly at social get-together's, but up until now had always dismissed these interactions as a close friendship or even motherly affection on Leslie's part. In hindsight, John now realised that he had been foolish to think that. Not only were Arthur and Leslie closer to each other in age, with only a year separating them, they shared many interests, so it was only natural that an attraction would develop between them. Although devestated and justifiably furious by his discovery, John decided not to confront Arthur or Leslie about their affair. That being said, he refused forgive them either. Ultimately, John quietly blamed Arthur for seducing his wife and, refusing to give up on his marriage, waited for an opportunity to not only get revenge but remove his traitorous "friend" from the equation.
That opportunity came a few weeks later, when the General received instructions for a reconnaissance mission into enemy territory. Although none of the adaptations state exactly what this task involved, John's recollections make it very clear that this particular assignment was an extremely dangerous, bordering on suicidal operation and that John knew it was doomed to fail from the very beginning. Hiding this particular detail from his subordinates, John, realising that this was the moment he had been waiting for volunteered Arthur Richmond for the expedition. It is not known if Richmond went willingly or if John persuaded him to go, If the latter is true, it probably did not take much. Not only was Arthur a Lieutenant serving under John's direct command, he had known the General for many years, considered him a friend and John probably insisted that he needed a man that he could trust to carry out the task.
Whatever the case, Arthur Richmond eventually left the trenches on John MacArthur's instructions. In the end, John's assumptions about the mission were proven correct. On 14th January 1917. Arthur Richmond was killed in action, just as his former friend/commander had hoped.
Life after the War[]
MacArthur would continue to serve his country right up until the November 1918 armistice. Although John returned to England as an acclaimed war hero, his personal life soon took a turn for the worse. Leslie MacArthur was not the same vibrant young woman that John had left behind all those years ago. In the years that followed, she became a much more subdued and anti-socialable individual. John did everything he could to comfort Leslie and to be there for her, but it simply wasn't enough. Their marriage ultimately became much more subdued and it is implied that Leslie's grief caused John to start regretting his actions.
In the long run, John's MacArthur's attempt to save his marriage was in vain. At some point between 1921 - 1922, Leslie MacArthur passed away after contracting double pneumonia (although in some adaptions, she contracted the Spanish Flu). Her demise was presumably hastened by her grief and desire to be reunited with Arthur Richmond once again. Left all on his own, John was unable to stay at the house he had once called home. He left the army and moved to a little house in Devon as had always been his intention. Initially, despite the loss of his wife, John enjoyed a happy retirement, hanging out with his military colleagues and enjoying sociable activities.
Eventually however, his life began a downward spiral. As the years passed and peoples minds cleared, some of Johns fellow officers, in particular Arthur Richmond's friends, began to suspect that the lieutenant's death was no accident. Whispers began to spread amongst the war veterans, which eventually turned led to rumors, then speculation and eventually quiet suspicion. Ultimately, John MacArthur's reputation was ruined. Realising what his fellow soldiers were thinking, John stopped attending the military reunions and after noticing the strange looks that his new neighbors were giving him, became less and less sociable.
By the time the story begins, John Gordon MacArthur is an elderly widower living on his own. The former General is now partially deaf and has become a withdrawn and depressed recluse, who only leaves his house to go shopping and to attend church. MacArthur's life is now completely dominated by his guilt, not because of the rumors or speculation, but out of genuine remorse/regret over what he did.
And Then There Were None[]
Invitation of Doom[]
In his confession letter at the end of the novel, Wargrave revealed that he heard the tale of General John Gordon MacArthur and Arthur Richmond from two old military gossips at his local club. As with all of his potential victims, Wargrave assessed the accusation very carefully, wanting to confirm whether or not the "accused" was guilty of his supposed crime. After weighing up the evidence, Wargrave concluded that John MacArthur had indeed murdered Arthur Richmond and decided that the old general deserved to die for it. Thus, using a false identity, Wargrave contacted MacArthur.
John received a letter from a Mr. U.N.Owen in mid-1939. The letter was an invitation to attend a small gathering on a small island off the Devon coast, providing John with an opportunity to catch up with some old war acquaintances. Although he had never heard of nor met Mr. Owen beforehand, MacArthur gladly welcomed the change of scenery. So, he packed his bags and left the village to attend this meeting, unaware that he would never return. MacArthur met most of the other guests at the harbor, where they were escorted to Indian Island by a ferryman named Thomas Naricot.
Revelation & Acceptance[]
For the rest of the day, all was well. After being shown to their rooms, the guests started to make themselves feel comfortable and at home. MacArthur soon struck up a friendship of sorts with Emily Brent, whose uncle had been part of John's old regiment. That evening, MacArthur and the others enjoyed an extravagant meal prepared by the house-staff Thomas and Ethel Rogers.
The tranquil atmosphere was shattered however, when the group sat down after dinner to enjoy some drinks and cigars. Out of nowhere, an unfamiliar voice addressed each member of the group, speaking to them in a manner reminiscent of a court trial. The voice then proceeded to accuse each and every person of killing somebody from their past. Amongst these accusations was MacArthur's murder of Arthur Richmond!
After overcoming their shock and helping Ethel Rogers to bed after she collapsed, the rest of the guests demanded an explanation from Roger's. Thomas explained that the Owen's had given him instructions telling him to set up the gramophone as a prank. He insisted, however, that he had no idea what was on the record. Seeing no reason to suspect him, the guests turned to what was said. With the exception Emily Brent (who said nothing), Philip Lombard and Anthony Marston (who both admitted their guilt), everybody else refuted the allegations. In regards to his own accusation, MacArthur insisted that he had merely sent Arthur Richmond out on a reconnaissance mission. He insisted that they both knew it was risky and that unfortunately the latter fell in duty to his King and Country. The meticulous Wargrave would later admit in his confession that he carefully watched MacArthur and each of the others reactions. He wrote that their declarations were enough for him to confirm that they were all guilty!
Not long after the apparent suicide of Anthony Marston, who suffocated on a poisoned drink, John and the others retired for the evening. The old General struggled to get to sleep that night. Like everybody else, he was rattled by Marston's apparent suicide, as well as the accusation made against him own person. John thoughts turned to Arthur, his beloved Leslie, how he had found out about the affair and how he carried out his crime. He wondered who the person on the other end of the recording was and more importantly, how they had found out about the episode with Arthur? Since the old general already knew about the rumors and speculation, his thoughts soon turned as to whether or not he had put on a convincing enough act?
Seeking some for distraction, John tried to assure himself that he would soon be safely back on the mainland and away from this terrible ordeal. No sooner had he thought this, than John suddenly realised that didn't want to go back: to either the mainland or his country house. He had no desire to return to the rumors or the speculation from his neighbors, let alone his self-imposed isolation. Letting the sound of the waves and the wind lull him to sleep, the old General came to an important realization about himself. If given the choice, he would rather just end it all here!
The following morning, MacArthur joined the others for a rather sumptuous breakfast of eggs and bacon. In contrast to their previous meal however, the atmosphere was quiet and rather subdued. Once everybody had finished, Doctor Edward George Armstrong who had asked to speak with everybody once they were finished (barring Thomas who was attending to his duties), dropped another bomb shell. The maid, Mrs Ethel Rogers was dead. According to the Doctor she died peacefully in her sleep at some point during the night. MacArthur listened in silence as the others argued back and forth about what had could have happened. His only contribution to the conversation was to doubt ex police-inspector William Blore's theory that Thomas Rogers had killed his wife in order to silence her. When Thomas came back into the room moments later, the General was the only person to offer his condolences, which the butler accepted.
In spite of his silence however, John MacArthur had been doing some serious thinking, whilst the others were talking. As the rest of the party left to gather their belongings and wait for Mr. Naricot the ferryman, the old General came to an epiphany. Walking out onto the terrace, he heard Philip Lombard talking to William Blore about Naricot's strange absence. Injecting himself into the conversation, MacArthur told the others quite firmly that the boat, their only means of getting off of the island was not going to come. He told them quite firmly that the eight remaining guests were all trapped on island now and none of them were going to leave it alive. Having made his views on the matter very clear, MacArthur left the two younger men on the terrace and in a trance like state, made his way down to the beach. Blore and Lombard both thought that the old man had gone mad.
What they did not know (yet) was that MacArthur had in fact deduced the reality of their situation. John had realised that Marston and Mrs. Rogers deaths were no accident. This entire situation was a setup. He and the others had been lured into a trap setup by U.N. Owen. The mysterious figure, whoever they were, knew of their crimes and had brought them to somewhere they could not escape from, so they could receive their punishment i.e. death.
Having reflected upon his discovery, John MacArthur realized that he was fine with all this. He was old and tired now. After so many years of self imposed-torment, the General wanted his suffering to end. Having found peace with his impending doom, John Gordon MacArthur sat down quietly upon the sandy shore, fixed his gaze upon the horizon and waited to die.
Death[]
| “ | Eight Little Soldier Boys holidaying in Devon. One said he'd stay there and then there were seven. | „ |
| ~ The third verse of the Little Soldier Boy's poem, symbolising MacArthur's fate. |
Whilst waiting for Naricot, Vera Claythorne seeking to get away from Miss Brent after learning her appalling story about Beatrice Taylor, wandered around the island to explore the scenery. During her venture she found MacArthur sitting alone on the beach, staring out across the horizon. The pair had a short conversation, during which the General finally admitted his guilt to the young school teacher. When Vera declared they needed to get ready for the ferry, MacArthur told her, quite calmly, what he had previously told Blore and Lombard. This was the end and that none of them were going to leave this island alive. To Vera's shock, the old general then tells her that he accepts what is coming and has finally found something that he was searching so desperately for; peace.
Haunted by his words Vera insisted that he was wrong and left MacArthur's presence. When she relayed his comment to the others, the men assumed that MacArthur might be crazy but decided not to do anything about it for the moment. Vera did not know it, but her meeting with John Gordon MacArthur would be the last time that anybody saw him alive.
As the group sat down for lunch, Emily Brent suddenly noticed that MacArthur had not come up to join them. Armstrong said he would fetch him, but a few minutes later, the doctor came running back up the path screaming. After catching his breath, George reported that he had just found MacArthur lying lifeless by the sea. The corpse was brought up to the house, where Armstrong determined that the General was killed by a single heavy blow to the back of the head. As a small measure of comfort, he told the others that this would have killed John MacArthur instantly with little to no pain.
As the others carried MacArthur's remains upstairs and laid him on his bed, Vera Claythorne and Thomas Rogers returned to the dining room. There they found another one of the china soldier boys from the table's centerpiece was smashed. Reciting the poem, Vera realized what the late General had already discovered. The guests were being picked off one by one in accordance with the poem's verses. MacArthur's death also triggered a huge sense of unease amongst the survivors. Whilst the deaths of Anthony Marston and Ethel Rogers had previously been written off as suicide and natural causes respectively, MacArthur's death was an indisputable act of murder. When Vera told them about her revelation, the survivors realized that they were indeed being hunted.
Within a few days, MacArthur's prediction came true. None of the others managed to escape from the clutches of U.N. Owen and every single one of them perished. John's remains were presumably recovered by the Scotland Yard detectives after the events on Soldier Island were concluded. It can be assumed that his body was taken back to the mainland and eventually laid to rest.
Cause of Death[]
In his confession letter, Lawrence Wargrave (who was U. N. Owen), noted that he killed his victims in a particular order. Those who had commited murder by accident or for lesser evils died first and in less painful ways compared to the more intentional villains. This means that Wargrave judged John to be one of his more innocent victims. Indeed, he confessed that the sociopathic Marston was killed off first because his crime was reckless and owing to his nature, Wargrave could not make the rich young man feel empathy. Mrs. Rogers died next because she had committed her actions unwillingly under the influence of her domineering husband.
Although not stated, Wargrave probably made John MacArthur his third victim for the following reasons;-
- Firstly, John was a jilted lover who had been wronged by his victim.
- Secondly, MacArthur's crime was a spur of the moment crime of passion, where many factors were left to chance.
- Thirdly, unlike most of the others, MacArthur had demonstrated genuine remorse for his crime.
- Lastly, given that John MacArthur's actions had taken place during the war, there was a strong possibility that Arthur Richmond would have died anyway.
The letter also explained how each of the victims met their end. In MacArthur's case, Wargrave pretended to fall asleep on one of the deck chairs, whilst "waiting for Naricot". Once he was certain that nobody was looking, Wargrave snuck down to the beach with a bronze oxygen cylinder in hand. The General was still staring out across the horizon and didn't appear to hear the Judge creeping up on him.
Wargrave then struck the older man in the back of the head with the cylinder, which as Armstrong speculated, killed him instantly. Thus the tragic life of General John Gordon MacArthur came to an end. In death, John finally found the peace and freedom he had desperately sought!
2015 Miniseries[]
| “ | I should have just stepped aside like a gentleman and - just let them be happy | „ |
| ~ MacArthur expressing his guilt to Vera Claythorne |
In the 2015 BBC adaptation, MacArthur was portrayed by Sam Neill. His character was genuinely consistent with his novel counterpart, showing him as a grief-stricken, tormented old man. Only a few differences exist between the novel version of MacArthur and his television counterpart:
- The television MacArthur is implied to be slightly younger than he is in the novel. Neill was 68 when the series aired.
- There is also no indication of MacArthur being deaf in the miniseries.
- Whilst novel MacArthur's reputation is in ruins, the miniseries MacArthur was shown being photographed in uniform, suggesting that he is better off socially.
- In the book, MacArthur killed his treacherous friend Arthur Richmond by sending him out on a suicidal mission. In contrast, television MacArthur shot the renamed Henry Richmond in the back of the head moments after discovering the affair.
- MacArthur's grief is more pronounced in the show, see the above quote. In the final moments of his life, John appears to see Henry Richmond walking towards him like a phantom, as if the latter is coming to claim his soul.
- Lastly, instead of an oxygen cylinder, the televised version of MacArthur was killed with a bronze telescope, which was left beside his corpse. His body is also found by Emily Brent instead of Dr Armstrong.
Trivia[]
- General MacArthur is the oldest character featured in And Then There Were None.
- It is not known if John ever confronted his wife about the affair, nor if Leslie ever suspected that her husband was involved in the demise of her lover.
- Fans of the story generally consider John MacArthur not only be the kindest, but the most tragic of Wargraves victims. This is because he is repeatedly shown to be a genuinely nice man and his actions were committed out of sincere love for his wife. Plus, he is the only one of the victims to show unconditional remorse for his actions.
- MacArthur has a few similarities to Vera Claythorne and Philip Lombard from the same story.
- In the TV series, Lombard and MacArthur possess some form of military background.
- Like Vera, John committed his crime out of love. However, MacArthur was the jilted victim, who was unwilling to let go of the person he loved. Also, given the setting in the middle of the trenches, there the distinct possibility that Richmond would have died anyway. In contrast, Claythorne orchestrated the death of her innocent charge due to selfish desires, robbing him of his future.
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 Villains(Non-Poirot & Non-Marple) | |
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Tommy and Tuppence Beresford And Then There Were None Other Mystery Stories Adaptational, Homage & Non-Canonical | |