William Blore in And Then There Were None

William Blore

Like Lombard, William Blore selfish, self-centered, and did we mention self-preserving? This is basically the Dark Triad of personality traits, so we’re not at all shocked that he ends up on Soldier Island. We are, however, a little disappointed by his crime: he committed perjury (lied under oath) to send an innocent man to jail in order to gain a promotion at work. Come on, dude, if you’re going to do that, at least set your sights a little higher.

Anyway, Blore doesn’t bother thinking much about anyone else. As he helpfully tells us, “When a man’s neck is in danger, he doesn’t stop to think too much about sentiment” (6.161). And, sure, this attitude seems to help Blore survive a lot longer than most other characters. Because he’s so self-serving, he thinks other people are the same way. He doesn’t trust any of the other characters and watches his own back.

First, he accuses Lombard of poisoning the first victims: “It’s possible, isn’t it, that you may have made a mistake? These things do happen once in a while” (9.28). Then, he calls out Lombard for having a revolver, just before says that he’s sure that Miss Brent is the killer. Blore is all over the place when it comes to who is really guilty.

In the end, however, Blore lacks the cleverness of Lombard and Vera ends up dying before both of them, when good old Wargrave drops a bear clock on his head.

Ouch.